Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Light in the Darkness
by RemiScarlet58
Summary: Ezra wakes one day to find that she has a voice in her head...And she's turned into a Litwick!With her new partner Carys the Pumpkaboo,they set off to find heaps of treasure while at the same time ending a war between the legendaries.But Team Renegade will stop at nothing to let the dark side win... *I am no longer accepting OCs. Sorry.* K10 for mild language and violence later on.
1. Prologue: The Fight

Prologue: The Fight

_Atop an ethereal tower, two large gray figures stand poised for battle. All around them, Pokemon battle, and the tower threatens to crumble._

"_I should have known _you_ would attempt something like this," The smaller, but more powerful of the two, said. "Even after that first time you tried to overtake me all those years ago, you still have not learned your lesson."_

"_It is the nature of darkness to seek out the light and crush it. I merely wish to bring a new era of glory to this world." The second figure rumbled._

"_You are mistaken. Light and Dark simply complement each other. Separate, they are indeed enemies, but together they bring balance to the universe, as they are intended to do. Cease this needless fighting. Is darkness truly the correct answer?" Pleaded the first figure._

"_Your type of balance is ruining the world! No, your era of peace is over. It is time for peace to subside and let evil reign. You know I have my siblings on my side. They agree that peace has reigned far too long. They, like me, hunger for the glory we rightly deserve!" Shouted the second Pokemon angrily._

"_I did not want it to come to this. But it seems I have no choice. You have sealed your fate, and this time your punishment will be much more severe." Upon this declaration, the first figure charged at the second._

_It disappeared suddenly, and the first entity skidded to a stop._

"_Show yourself, coward!" It yelled, turning purple in color._

_Hearing a sound behind it, the first figure whirled around a second too late as the second figure slammed into it violently. The first figure slid across the floor of the tower._

"_Ghost? Hm. Interesting choice of strategy. No matter, I will be ending you shortly…"The second figure stood over the first, preparing a Draco Meteor. _

"_No you don't!" The first figure shouted, sending out numerous shards from its body. Too late; the Draco Meteor struck the Pokemon, and the shards flew from their orbit around the fallen Pokemon. _

"_Ah, I see your lifeline has been severed from you. I will scatter each shard far and wide, one at a time, so you will suffer long and slowly, as you have done to me." The second figure brought the fallen Pokemon all but one of its precious shards. The first figure was immediately strengthened, but without all 18 it was not at full strength. And it would continue to lose strength until it was reunited with the last shard. The first deity stood slowly, preparing an attack. The second figure placed a green dome of energy around the smaller being. _

"_My Protect should keep you confined until your weakness catches up with you. And even if you break free, I will have my followers pummel you back into submission. Accept your fate, my friend. It will go more smoothly for you. Now, I am going to put your final fragment miles away from this place. When I return, you will be in no condition to ever threaten me again." The second figure gloated as it flew away with the fragment of life._

No…_The first figure thought in frustration as its defenders were beaten and the enemy's followers trudging up to guard the trapped entity. _There's got to be a way for this to end. I cannot get out of this situation without help. I need to find a champion. But who….?


	2. Chapter 1 The Litwick and the Pumpkaboo

Chapter One: The Litwick and the Pumpkaboo

**A/N: ** indicates the second voice's thoughts**

There was nothing but darkness. Ezra tried to open her eyes, but her eyes wouldn't obey.

_What happened? _She thought. _Am I dead?_

_**No,** _Said an unknown voice. **_you are unconscious. Don't worry, you'll wake up shortly.**_

_I didn't think that! Who are you?! _She demanded mentally.

_**I am a friend. I can't meet you in person right now, but please believe me in that I mean you no harm. Think of me as a guide.** _It—for Ezra could not tell whether the voice was male or female—reassured her.

_A guide? Why do I need a guide? I…_Ezra paused in terror when she realized she didn't remember anything, except her name.

**_It's time to wake up, Ezra. You'll see what I mean shortly.** _It—the voice sounded both masculine and feminine, so Ezra decided to refer to the voice as an it—said.

Suddenly Ezra was aware she way lying on something hard, and felt a nudge in her side.

"Hey, are you okay?" A new, concerned voice from outside Ezra's mind spoke.

Ezra opened her eyes to find that she was in a small wooded area. Above her was a small, floating Pokemon with a pumpkin-like body and brown ruffles on top of the "pumpkin". It had two small eyes and a short mouth with protruding fangs.

"You're awake!" It exclaimed.

"You can talk!" Ezra exclaimed back. She didn't remember much, but she knew Pokemon weren't supposed to speak human language.

The little Pokemon looked confused.

"Of course I can talk. You sound so surprised." She, for her voice was definitely feminine, said.

"I-I'm sorry. Where I come from, Pokemon can't talk." Ezra apologized sheepishly.

"Really? Wow, I've never heard of anything like that before. Where do you come from?" Asked the floating pumpkin thing.

"I…I don't know. I seem to have lost my memory. All I remember is my name, and that Pokemon aren't supposed to talk like humans." Explained Ezra.

"Humans? But humans don't live around here. They haven't come here for centuries. And you're not a human." Informed the Pokemon.

"Huh? But of course I am! See, just look at…."Ezra trailed off as she looked at herself for the first time. Instead of a human body greeting her downward gaze, a short white stubby one met her instead. Suddenly she was aware of a light pulsing sensation on her head. One look at her reflection from a nearby puddle showed that she had turned into some sort of candle thing.

"What am I? What happened to me?!" She screamed.

**_You turned into a Pokemon, Ezra. You came here from another world. Don't tell the Pumpkaboo about me, please. I'd rather keep myself hidden from others.**_ Supplied the voice.

"You're a Litwick! A Shiny one, too. I don't know what happened to you, but I'm sure it's nothing that can't be reversed!" The Pokemon—A Pumpkaboo, the voice said?—said cheerfully.

"Shiny?" Asked Ezra.

"Yeah! Normal Litwick have a purple flame on their heads and a yellow eye. You have a blue flame and a green eye. Pretty cool, actually. A lot of Shiny Pokemon have been cropping up lately, what with the dimensions out of whack and all." Said Pumpkaboo, bouncing in the air shortly in a shrug.

"Huh?" Was all Ezra could say.

"Oh! Sorry. You see, for a while now our world has been…chaotic. Space, time, and dimensions are distorted, and more and more bad Pokemon have been appearing. No one can evolve, natural disasters are now a norm, and weird places called Mystery Dungeons have been appearing left and right. What's even scarier is that Pokemon have gone missing. Like, one day they're here and the next day they just…vanish. No one really knows what to do. Hey! I wonder if your transformation into a Pokemon and your memory loss are related!" Rambled Pumpkaboo.

"Maybe." Said Ezra.

**_It's true.** _Agreed Voice.

"Oh my Arceus! I totally forgot! I'm Carys, by the way! I'm a Pumpkaboo! Nice to meet you!" Grinned Carys.

"I'm Ezra. You said I was a Litwick?" Ezra asked.

"Yep! A ghost- and fire-type! I'm a ghost- and grass-type!" Laughed Carys.

"HEEEELLLLPPPP!" Someone screamed nearby.

"Oh! Trouble! Let's go help!" Said Carys, concerned.

"Right!" Ezra said as they raced towards the sound of the scream.

They found a green, four-legged Pokemon with a large flower around its neck weeping by a small cottage.

"What happened?" Asked Ezra.

"My baby! She was kidnapped!" Screeched the Pokemon.

"What?!" Carys and Ezra exclaimed at the same time.

"Who took her? Where did they go?" Demanded Carys.

"They attacked so fast, I didn't see them! But they headed that way, towards Joyful Forest." Sniffed the Pokemon, looking south.

"We'll get your child back. What does she look like?" Asked Carys.

"She's a Chikorita, but Shiny. She has yellow-green skin and a brown leaf on her head." Described the worried mother.

"Alright, we'll be back shortly. Don't worry." Soothed Carys as she and Ezra raced southwards.

Presently, they came to a strange area. The trees grew more clustered, and only a small entrance marked the beginning the place.

"What is this place?" Ezra asked.

"A Mystery Dungeon. Joyful Forest, from the looks of it. And before you ask, let me explain: Mystery Dungeons are strange places. The layout changes each time you visit, and everyone inside will attack you. If you're defeated, you get sent right back to the beginning—here—and you lose half of your items and all your money. …I've actually never been inside one before." Remarked Carys.

"You don't?! Then how will we rescue Chikorita?" Said Ezra, who had been hoping Carys knew what she was doing, because Ezra sure didn't.

"It doesn't matter; a Pokemon needs our help, and we're the only ones who can do it. Don't you want to punish the crooks who would kidnap a hapless child?" Demanded Carys.

"Fine, fine! Let's go. We have a baby to rescue." Said Ezra as they walked in.

**Joyful Forest**

**1F**

Ezra noticed she and Carys were in a chamber connected with narrow hallways. There was an item on the floor nearby. She went to pick it up. It was a seed, small and red.

"What's this?" She called to Carys.

"That's a Blast Seed. Eat it and you'll breathe fire. Use it to damage an opponent." Advised Carys.

As neither of them had a bag, Ezra carried the little seed in her short stubby hand.

Presently a small green Pokemon with a yellow face and large bud on its head came into view.

"A Budew! Ezra, attack it, quick!" Cried Carys.

"How?!" Shouted Ezra.

_**Use Ember. Feel the fire in your flame grow, and lash out at the enemy.**_ Advised Voice.

Ezra tried. She paid attention to the flame on her head. She felt it grow, and pushed the flame outwards with her mind. Red-hot embers soared through the air and onto the Budew, who collapsed on the ground.

"Wow! Nice Ember attack!" Called Carys.

"That was…kinda awesome." Admitted Ezra. They came to a room with a set of stairs in the middle.

"Oh! The Stairs! We can go to the next floor!" Said Carys.

"How many floors are there?" Asked Ezra.

"I dunno; it varies from dungeon to dungeon. Oh, and once we climb the stairs they'll 're a one-way trip to the next floor." Said Carys as they traversed to the next floor.

**2F**

"Joyful Forest? The name's a bit misleading. I'm feeling everything _but_ joyful," Grumbled Carys. "Ezra! Look out! That Wurmple's going to attack you!" She called.

"Huh? Oh! Ember!" Said Ezra, defeating the red spiky Pokemon.

"What was that green Pokemon back at the cottage called?" Asked Ezra as Carys dispatched a Pokemon called a "Caterpie" with an attack she called Astonish.

"Hmm? Oh, she's a Meganium. Meganium is the last evolved form of Chikorita." Carys said helpfully.

"I'm glad you know all this stuff." Sighed Ezra as they found the Stairs.

**3F**

"What's this?" Asked Ezra, holding a small blue berry.

"An Oran Berry. They restore health, and a little bit of hunger. There's a Caterpie behind you!" Shouted Carys.

Ezra turned just in time to find herself covered in sticky threads.

"Let me go!" She howled, tugging herself free.

"Yaaaahhhh!" She screamed, tackling the Caterpie and defeating it.

"Hey, you know Astonish too! Awesome!" Grinned Carys.

"That was Astonish? But it felt like a normal tackle to me." Said Ezra, confused. Carys merely bobbed up and down quickly, her version of a shrug, as she had no shoulders.

"There's the Stairs! And—ooooh, Poke!" Gushed Carys, dashing over to put something under her ruffles.

"Poke?" Asked Ezra, coming over.

"Our currency." Explained Carys as they climbed the stairs.

**Joyful Woods Depths**

They came to a large clearing that wasn't like the other floors.

"This must be the deepest part of the dungeon. Hopefully Chikorita's here." Fretted Carys.

"Look, there are Pokemon over there!" Pointed Ezra. They ran over to the four figures.

"Hopefully we have the right Shiny this time." A female voice was saying. Three Pokemon were looming over a small, yellow-green Pokemon with a brown leaf on its head.

"Chikorita!" Ezra called. The four turned around.

"Tch! An exploration team's followed us!" The one in the middle scowled. It was blue and white, with a red bow on its stomach, two crystals on its teardrop-shaped head, and long arms attached to its head. It was also the female speaker from before.

"They don't look so tough." Said the Pokemon to the right of the woman. He was green and brown with long tusks coming from his mouth.

"Firnen's right, we can take 'em!" Agreed the last one. He had six legs, a long yellow body, and four rhombus-shaped wings.

"Hush, you two. So, exploration team, I assume you're here to rescue this kid?" The middle one, the leader, asked.

"We are. Who are you?" Demanded Carys.

"Who are we? We are none other than the infamous Team Renegade!" The leader spread her arms widely, gesturing to her teammates.

"I am the scourge of the sky, Kialandi the Vibrava!" Exclaimed the winged Pokemon.

"I am the toughest fighter of them all, Firnen the Fraxure!" Laughed the tusked one.

"And I am the leader, the gloriously beautiful Formora the Froslass!" Smirked the leader.

"Well, I'm Carys the Pumpkaboo and this is Ezra the Shiny Litwick! And we're here to stop you!" Declared Carys.

"The Litwick _is _Shiny….She could be the one we want." Said Kialandi to Formora, who nodded.

"Yes, this is true. Alright! We'll knock out them both, and take the Litwick and Chikorita to the boss." She said.

"What?" Said Ezra, startled.

"You're not taking me anywhere! Bring it!" She shouted.

"You're on!" Laughed Formora.

**Boss Battle!**

"Ezra! Formora's weak to both Astonish and Ember! Focus on her! I've got Kialandi and Firnen!" Shouted Carys as she Astonished into the two males.

"Uh, right!" Said Ezra.

"Ember!" She said, sending the embers onto Formora.

"Ow! You'll pay for that! Let's see how your partner likes my Powder Snow!" Formora said, sending an icy blast onto both Ezra and Carys. Ezra wasn't too badly hurt, but Carys cried out in pain.

"I'm weak to ice-types!" She cried as she dodged a Tackle from Kialandi.

"Confuse Ray! Times two!" Carys shouted, sending a bright ray of light onto the two males. They immediately started wandering around, attacking each other instead of Carys.

"Hmph! Not bad! But have another taste of my Powder Snow!" Said Formora, sending it out again. Carys was sent flying.

"Carys!" Shouted Ezra, running over to kneel beside her friend.

"She's too strong! One more hit like that and I'm out!" Sobbed Carys.

"You can't give up now! We have a mission to complete! Formora is strong, but we're stronger still! If we lose then who knows what will happen to us and Chikorita? We have to succeed! We can't allow the bad guys to win!" Ezra encouraged.

"You're right! I can't let my weaknesses get the better of me! Thanks for the pep talk, Ez. I'm feeling better already." Said Carys as Kialandi and Firnen snapped out of their confusion.

"I'll keep those two busy. I seem to have learned a new move." Grinned Carys mischievously.

"Okay, here I goooooooooo!" Shouted Ezra as she surprised Formora with an Astonish. She sent the Froslass flying.

"Oof! Hey, get off me!" Formora growled, knocking Ezra back with a powerful sweep of her arm.

"Razor Leaf!" Said Carys, sending razor-sharp leaves at Kialandi and Firnen.

"Ahhh!" Cried Kialandi, collapsing.

"Kia!" Cried Formora. "All right, enough of this! Prepare to meet your doom! Ice Beam!" She cried, preparing the attack.

"I have an idea, Carys! Don't worry about Formora!" Ezra shouted as she put the Blast Seed into her mouth and charged at Formora.

Just as Formora was about to unleash the attack that would end Carys, Ezra spat out the spicy fire that shot from her mouth.

"Ahhhhh!" The Froslass shrieked, collapsing at the same time as Firnen, who had been dispatched by an Astonish.

"Ah….ah….You two…are strong for…an exploration team." Said Formora, getting up with difficulty.

"We're not an exploration team!" Protested Carys.

"_What?!"_ Team Renegade screeched.

"We got beat by ordinary Pokemon?" Gasped Firnen in disbelief.

"Quiet! We won't speak of this to _You-know-who_. Let's get out of here!" Scowled Formora.

"You haven't seen the last of us!" Snarled Kialandi as the trio fled the dungeon.

"I'm glad that's over. Let's go make sure Chikorita's okay." Sighed Carys in relief as they approached the tiny baby.

"Hello. We're here to rescue you. Let's go back to your mommy, okay?" Asked Ezra as they escorted the petrified tot back to her mother.

"Oh, my baby! I was afraid I'd never see you again!" Wailed Meganium, nuzzling her precious child.

"Thank you ever so much! Allow me to repay you!" She said, using vines to hug Ezra and Carys close before releasing them.

"Oh, that's really not—"Began Ezra.

"Nonsense! Money can be obtained easily, but my child is priceless. Here, take this." MEganium went into her house for a second and came out with a few circles.

"Here. 300 Poke. I hope that'll be enough." Said Meganium, giving the coins to Carys.

"This is plenty! Thanks!" She grinned.

"Thank you," Said Chikorita with a voice that was just getting used to speaking actual words.

"You're very welcome!" Said Ezra.

"Oh, the sun's starting to set. You two had better get going before it gets dark," Advised Meganium.

"Wow, you're right. Alrighty! We're off! Bye-bye!" Said Carys as she and Ezra walked back towards the clearing Ezra woke up in.

"I feel so happy that we reunited a family. I'm glad that we got to do that; it feels amazing to do a good deed." Beamed Carys.

"That was pretty cool." Admitted Ezra.

"And it's thanks to you that we succeeded in the first place." Carys added.

"What? Me? What did I do?"

"I was ready to give up when I was hit with those Powder Snows. I thought all was lost. But you convinced me to keep fighting. I'm really grateful for that, and I'll never forget it. What are you going to do now?" Asked Carys.

Ezra thought for a moment.

"I don't really know." She said simply.

"I have an idea. It's a long shot, but it might just help you with your problems." Carys said.

"What is it?" Asked Ezra.

"You know how those Pokemon back there thought we were an exploration team? I was thinking…what if we became an actual exploration team? We'd get to explore all kinds of places while helping those in need. And who knows? Maybe we'd find a clue as to who you really are along the way. What do you think?" Asked Carys.

_I did enjoy getting to explore that Mystery Dungeon back there. And rescuing Chikorita has been the best thing that's happened to me since I got here. Maybe Carys is right, maybe there's an answer to my memory loss and transformation out there somewhere. It's certainly worth the chance. And I like Carys, she'd make an excellent friend. _Thought Ezra.

_**Go with Carys, Ezra. She'll lead you to the answers you seek.** _Advised Voice.

_Well, if Voice approves, I guess then it's the right way to go._

"That sounds like an amazing idea. I would love that." Smiled Ezra.

"Really? Woo-hoo! I was hoping you'd say that!" Beamed Carys, doing a backflip in the air. "I come from a place called Lily Town; it has an exploration team registration place. And it's only ten minutes away. Let's go!" Smiled Carys as she and Ezra walked to Lily Town.

**A/N: These next few posts require the introduction of other Pokemon, both Teams and townsfolk alike. Please feel free to give me suggestions! I'll give you full credit for them **** Here's a formatting guide:**

**Team: **Name/Unaffiliated

**Members: **Species/Nickname(optional)/Gender, Species/Nickname/Gender, etc.

**Leader:** (Does not apply to townsfolk and other entities)

**General personality: **What are their characteristics? Likes? Dislikes?

**Specialties:** What do they excel at?

**Weaknesses:** No one's perfect. What are their flaws?

**Alignment: **Good/Neutral/Dark

**Miscellaneous: **Anything else I should know?


	3. Chapter 2 Team Banshee

Chapter 2. Team Banshee

**A/N disclaimer regarding OCs: I can't guarantee that everyone's OC will appear for an equal amount of time. Some will have a more prominent role than others. I do apologize for any inconvenience. ALSO! Bad things **_**will**_** happen to some OCs. I can't stress enough that it's nothing personal, just how I have my story planned out. We good? Okay. On a more positive note, I'm truly humbled by all the positive feedback I've gotten from you guys :') Alright, back to the fun part.**

"I was thinking about what we should call ourselves," Carys was saying as they neared Lily Town.

"What do you mean?" Asked Ezra.

"Every exploration team has to have a name. I was thinking we could call ourselves Team Banshee, since we're both ghost-types," Explained Carys.

"Ezra and Carys of Team Banshee….I like it. It suits us." Smiled Ezra.

"Awesome! Oh, hey, we're here!" Said Carys as they came to the town.

It was a bustling place, even with night just beginning. Pokemon of all shapes and sizes were about. Some were talking and laughing with others, some were at the various shops, and others were merely walking to and fro.

"C'mon! I'll show you around!" Laughed Carys as she twirled in the air.

"This is Kecleon Market. The Kecleon Brothers sell all kinds of helpful exploration items." Said Carys as they passed two striped Pokemon. One was green and the other purple.

"Hello Carys!" They called.

"Hiii! Oh, here we have Kangaskhan Storage. Kangaskhan stores people's items for them, free of charge. She's super nice."

"Good evening, sweetheart! Who's your friend?" Smiled the brown, formidable-looking Pokemon.

"This is Ezra, my friend! We're going to become an exploration team together!" Beamed Carys.

"Really? Wow! Good luck to you two." Waved Kangaskhan as they moved on.

"Here's Jumpluff Bank. Jumpluff keeps track of people's money. Let's deposit the Poke we got today." Said Carys as they stepped up to the cottony Pokemon.

"Evening, Carys. What can I do for you?" Asked Jumpluff.

"I'm here to deposit 327 Poke." Said Carys, handing over the coins.

"Alright! I'll set up a bank account for you and see that your money is safe!" Smiled Jumpluff.

"Oh, the account's for my friend Ezra too. We're just about to register as an exploration team." Said Carys, turning to Ezra.

"Really? Good for you! Have a wonderful evening!" Called Jumpluff as the two moved on.

"Down here is Pancham Dojo. Pancham seems to have closed shop for the night, but he trains Pokemon to be stronger. Up here is Sora the Reuniclus's Library. Sora's very wise, and he's always willing to give advice. He's a little…formal, though. I've never really seen him show emotion. But all in all he's a good Pokemon. This is his meditation hour, so we won't bother him tonight. Oh! Right here is Neal's Sweet Treats! Mr. Neal was kind enough to let me live here when I first came here. He makes all sorts of sugary wonders! Pastries, puddings, ice cream, candy…." Carys started drooling at the thought.

"Ah! Sorry. Let's go say hi. I need to tell him that I won't be living with him anymore. And before you ask me, Neal is a Cherrim." Mentioned Carys as they entered the shop, which was shaped like a sundae.

"Hello Carys! Back from your walk?" Asked a purple flower.

Upon second glance, Ezra noticed a body under the petals, obscured. Only the mouth was visible.

"Yep! I met Ezra here. She used to be a human, but she turned into a Shiny Litwick and lost her memory. So, we're going to form an exploration team in the hopes that we can help her."

"Hello." Ezra said shyly to the flower-thing.

"A human who lost her memory? Oh my, I'm terribly sorry, Miss Ezra! My name is Neal; I'm the owner of this shop. You're forming an exploration team, you say? Well, that's a very good idea. I hope you succeed in your quest. Carys, does this mean you're…?" Trailed Neal.

"Yep! If they don't let us in tonight, can we stay here?" Asked Carys.

Ezra had no idea what they were talking about.

"But of course! By all means! Here, have a welcoming gift from me, Miss Ezra. My famous Cherry Cheri Berry Pudding! And some candy, for Carys, of course." Said Neal.

He went into back room for a few minutes, then came out with two bowls. One had a dark red substance that smelled heavenly while the other held assorted candies.

"CANDY!" Screamed Carys gleefully, showing her entire upper body into the bowl.

Ezra ate her dish with more finesse. The pudding was excellent; it tasted exactly like cherries. Carys came up from her bowl, chocolate all over her face.

"Whoever invented candy deserves a Nobeldum Prize." She said dreamily.

"This is amazing!" Said Ezra, finishing her pudding.

"I'm glad you like it! You two had better get going before registration for exploring closes." Advised Neal, taking the bowls away.

"Will do! Thanks Neal! C'mon Ezzie, we have one last stop to make!" Said Carys, nudging Ezra towards the door.

"We do? Uh, okay. Goodbye, Mr. Neal." Called Ezra as she followed Carys to the largest building in town. It was at least four stories high and was painted all over with different Pokemon.

"What's this place?" Asked Ezra.

"This is Rose's Lofts. Rose and her employees house exploration teams that visit Lily Town. This is where we'll be living starting either tomorrow or tonight. Registration's also inside. Come on!" Said Carys as they went inside.

Inside was a large desk with a blue and white Pokemon with a huge beak and wings. Taking up the adjacent wall were two giant boards with lots of papers posted to each. Nearby was a ladder to the next floor.

"Hello! May I help you?" Asked the Pokemon at the desk.

"Hi! I'm Carys, and this is Ezra! We'd like to form an exploration team!" Beamed the ever-cheerful Carys.

"Well, you're just in time! We close in five minutes. I just need your team name and I'll send in your application. I'm Pelipper, by the way," Said the Pokemon.

"We are Team Banshee." Said Ezra.

"Team…Banshee…Okay, got it! You're all registered. Your supplies should arrive tomorrow morning. Rose should be upstairs." Said Pelipper, gesturing toward the ladder.

"Actually, I'm right here." Said a voice.

Carys and Ezra looked to watch a tall green Pokemon descend from the ladder.

"Hello, my name is Rose Leavanny. So you'll be staying here, I presume?" The Pokemon smiled.

"Yep! I'm Carys, and this is Ezra. We're Team Banshee." Grinned Carys.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Why don't you two spend the night here? I have a spare room. Dinner's over, but I can get Franziska to make something quick for you two." Rose offered.

"No thanks, we already ate." "Does she have candy?" Ezra and Carys said at the same time. Rose laughed.

"I can certainly ask. Meanwhile, I'll have Ivysaur show you to your room. Come upstairs with me." Said Rose as she led the two up the ladder.

The second floor had a large cozy living room with cushions and board games everywhere. It was empty, presumably as everyone was in bed. Multiple hallways led from the room.

"This is the commons area. Pokemon come here to relax after a long day of exploring. Oh, there's Ivysaur now. Ivysaur!" Called Rose as a small green Pokemon with a pink bud on its back entered the room.

"Yes?" It said, coming over.

"These are Carys and Ezra. They are a new exploration team and will be living with us from now on." Said Rose.

"Hello!" Beamed Carys.

"Good evening." Said Ezra.

"Nice to meet you both. I'm Ivysaur. My job here is to change the Job Bulletin Board and the Outlaw Notice Board each day." Explained Ivysaur.

"The what and the what?" Asked Ezra. Ivysaur laughed.

"You'll find out all about them tomorrow. You two must be exhausted. Let me show you to your room." He said.

"I'll be with you shortly." Added Rose as Ivysaur led them down a hall to the left.

At the very end of the hall and to the right lay a small chamber. Inside were a few beds made of cozy rushes, a small desk, and a water pitcher.

"Here you are. This will be your room. As you two will be permanent guests until further notice, no one but you will have this room while you're gone. Any questions?" Asked Ivysaur as Carys went to bounce on her bed.

"Nope! Thanks you, Mr. Ivysaur." She said.

"Yes, thanks." Agreed Ezra.

"Oh please, no need to be so formal. Call me Ivysaur. Well, I'll see you two in the morning. Breakfast is at eight. Franziska will wake you at seven. Good night!" Ivysaur said as he left the two on their own.

Presently, Rose came in.

"Here you are, Carys. Some chocolate Squirtles, jelly beans, taffy, and cherry licorice." She said, giving the candy to Carys.

"Sweet! Oh my gosh, I totally forgot to tell Neal I won't be coming tonight!" Exclaimed Carys.

"Don't worry, I told him myself. Where do you think I got the licorice from? If that's all you need, I'll let you to go to bed." Said Rose.

"We're fine, thank you. Thank you so much for letting us stay here." Said Ezra.

"It is no problem whatsoever. I enjoy getting to meet and help different Pokemon . Well, good night." Rose said as she left.

"Just think, Ez: tomorrow we're gonna be an official exploration team! I say we do some more exploring tomorrow!" Said Carys in between mouthfuls of candy.

"Possibly. Don't forget, I'm new here. I don't know what to do first." Frowned Ezra.

"Maybe one of the other teams can give us a clue. We'll probably be seeing them all at breakfast. And Lily Town is full of knowledgeable Pokemon. Surely someone has an idea!" Carys said as she swallowed the last mouthful of candy whole. She yawned.

"All of this excitement is making me sleepy. I'm going to bed, if you don't mind. Nighty night Ezzie!" Smiled Carys as she lay down on her bed and presently fell asleep.

Ezra watched her friend's body rise and fall with each breath.

_Carys sure is excited about this whole exploration team thing,_ she thought. _I'm kinda excited, too. Getting to explore that dungeon and rescue that Chikorita was really fun. But still…it doesn't answer my questions: Who am I? And why has my memory been erased? Voice? Any answers? _Voice stayed silent. Ezra found herself yawning.

_I'm really tired, too. I should sleep. Good night, Carys. Good night, Voice._


	4. Chapter 4

"Get up already!" Ezra heard a harsh shout.

She opened her eyes to find a blue Pokemon standing over her and Carys. It had whiskers and two shells on its legs.

"What's with all the yelling?" Yawned Carys, getting up.

"It's time to get up. Breakfast will be in an hour. Don't be late." Said the blue Pokemon curtly before stalking out of their room.

"What's her problem?" Asked Carys.

"Dunno," Replied Ezra.

"Well, we have an hour to spare; what would you like to do?" Asked Carys.

Her question was answered by a knock on the outside wall of their room.

"Good morning, Team Banshee!" Rose greeted as she came in.

"Morning, Rose!" Carys said.

"Good morning." Said Ezra.

"How was your first night?" Rose inquired.

"It was great! Well, aside from the rude awakening." Said Carys.

"Ah, that. Unfortunately Franziska has a rather…uncouth…way of waking people up. Don't let it bother you too much; she's always brusque with others." Rose said.

"We'll try. So what can we do for you?" Asked Ezra. Rose grinned.

"Your exploration team starter kit has arrived! Here, take a look," She said as she gave the two a large box.

Inside was a small bag, two small badges with yellow wings and a pink gem in the middle, 500 Poke, and two apples.

"Wow!" Exclaimed Ezra.

"This is awesome! So we're official now?" Asked Carys.

"Yes, you two are now a Normal Rank exploration team. You can carry up to 16 items in your bag, and can store up to 64 items with Kangaskhan." Explained Rose.

"That's it?" Asked Ezra.

"Whenever you two do missions on the Bulletin Boards on the first floor, your rank will increase. When you complete enough missions, you'll advance to the next rank, and so on. Your inventories will increase as your rank does, or if you do extraordinary tasks." Rose explained.

"That seems fair. What are the Bulletin Boards?" Asked Carys.

"Come downstairs and I'll show you." Said Rose as the three went to the first floor.

They stopped at the large board on the left.

:This is the Job Bulletin Board. Missions on this board include escorting Pokemon, rescuing Pokemon, finding items, and so on. With all the natural disasters going on, this board has been overflowing with requests."

"Over here is the Outlaw Bulletin Board. This board houses wanted posters and jobs that include bringing outlaws to justice. As with the Job Bulletin Board, this board has been full for a long time." Rose went on to explain.

"Wow…I never realized how many Pokemon were in need of an exploration team's assistance." Frowned Carys.

"Yes, exploration teams are in constant demand these days." Sighed Rose. "Oh! Let me tell you about your badges. They have mystical powers in them that allow you to teleport a Pokemon back to Lily Town. You can use them to rescue Pokemon or safely exit a dungeon once you're done with a mission." Went on Rose.

"That'll come in handy." Said Ezra.

"That's not all; those badges can't be taken away from you by someone else. You'll never have to worry about your badge being lost or stolen. Also, if you two become separated while in a dungeon, only one of you has to climb the Stairs. The other partner will be instantly teleported to you, as dungeons change layout once the Stairs disappear. And that's the basics!" Finished Rose.

"That's a lot of information to take in." Commented Ezra.

"It is, but in time this'll be old info to you two. And don't be afraid to talk to the other teams. They're all experts in the ways of dungeon exploring." Reassured Rose.

"Breakfast is ready!" Franziska's harsh voice rang out throughout the building.

"Well, we'd better get to the refectory. Franziska hates tardiness." Said Rose as they traversed up the ladder and to the right of the commons room.

Rose led Ezra and Carys to a large room filled with tables and chairs, most of which were empty.

Ivysaur, Pelipper, Franziska, and five Pokemon were already there.

"Hello Rose! Are these two the newbies?" Asked a red Pokemon with a large grey shell on its back.

"Good morning, Macargo. And yes, this is Team Banshee." Said Rose as the three took their seats near the seven sitting at a table. Franziska was busy putting plates in front of the Pokemon.

"My name is Franziska. I am a Dewott, and the cook of Rose's Lofts. Try not to be late next time." Franziska said shortly as she went back to the kitchen for more plates.

"Hello! My name is Carys the Pumpkaboo! We're Team Banshee! Nice to meet you all!" Beamed Carys, rising in the air shortly before falling back down gently.

"I'm Ezra, a Shiny Litwick." Ezra said shyly.

"Pleasure to meet you. We are the Silver-ranked Team Geo. We're geographers. Our goal is to map this entire continent. Whenever a new dungeon is discovered, we go immediately to map it. We work very closely with Sora, as maps are constantly being updated, what with the natural disasters and all. I am the leader, Macargo of the same species," Said Macargo.

"I'm Seadra, also of the same species," Said a spiky blue Pokemon with no legs and a large mouth.

"And I'm Noibat! I'm a Noibat!" Laughed the last Pokemon, a tiny purple Pokemon with wings.

"We're capable of exploring any terrain, be it land…" Macargo began, raising his head.

"Sea…" Said Seadra, flexing his fins.

"Or sky!" Finished Noibat, flapping her wings.

"Wow! Awesome!" Exclaimed Carys.

"Well, me and my sister here make up Gold Rank Team Dauntless. We go specifically after outlaws and outlaws only." Said a blue Pokemon.

He had two legs, a large tail, and fins on his head. His sister was light pink, with ribbons and bows all over her body.

"We've taken down a total of 378 outlaws since we first became an exploration team. My name is Sylveon the Sylveon, and this is my brother, Vaporeon the—you guessed it—Vaporeon." Sylveon smiled languidly at the two.

"You know me, Pelipper, and Rose already." Said Ivysaur as Franziska came out of the kitchen with two more plates.

"Do you need any help?" Inquired Ezra.

The glare Franziska gave her was enough to curdle milk.

"Sorry…" Ezra squeaked as plates were set in front of her and Carys.

"Will I need to put out three more plates?" Franziska asked Rose.

"Yes, they should be here any minute." Replied Rose.

As if in response to Rose, a musical voice called out, "Sorry we're so late! We got sidetracked."

Ezra and Carys looked up to see three Pokemon walk towards their table. The one in the middle was a small, black and white Pokemon with green eyes and long green hair with what looked to be musical notes on it. The Pokemon to the right was a short, round pink Pokemon with large eyes. The one to the left was a levitating blue Pokemon with a long tail that ended in red.

Good morning, Team Siren. You're just in time." Greeted Rose as Franziska put plates on the table.

"Team _Siren?! _You're Team Siren?" Exclaimed Carys.

The pink Pokemon laughed.

"Yes, we are! Fans of ours?" She asked with a smile.

"YES! I mean, I've heard of you." Carys said, trying in vain to contain her excitement.

"Who are Team Siren?" Asked Ezra.

Everyone's heads swirled to stare at her in shock.

"You don't who they are? But _everyone_ knows who Team Siren is!" Marveled Vaporeon.

"Well…it makes sense. Ez, it's your story to tell." Shrugged Carys.

"Oh, okay. Um…hello. My name is Ezra, and I used to be a human. I—"

"A human?! But how?" Interrupted Seadra.

"I-I don't know…Yesterday I woke up here as a Shiny Litwick. I don't remember anything at all. We became an exploration team in the hopes that I can find the reason why this happened to me." Explained Ezra.

"I've never heard such a thing." Ivysaur said.

"Sora might know." Added Noibat.

"Well, in any case, we're glad to have you here, Ezra and Carys. Normally it's much busier here at Rose's Lofts, but a lot of the other exploration teams have left in response to growing strife elsewhere." Said the green-haired Pokemon of Team Siren.

"Anyways, Team Siren is _the best_ exploration team. They're a Perfect Rank, which is the highest rank of all! They take down foes with their music, and they only go after the rarest of treasures. Their leader is the legendary Pokemon Meloetta, and they are beyond description." Sighed Carys in bliss.

"Haha! Well put, Carys. Yes, we are Team Siren. All of what Carys said is true, so we spend a lot of time in Lily Town until something that interests us catches out eye. I am Meloetta." The green-haired Pokemon said with a bow.

"Meloetta is a legendary Pokemon, meaning she's super powerful and ultra-rare to find elsewhere." Whispered Carys to Ezra.

"My name is Ranna. I am a Jigglypuff." The pink Pokemon said with a twirl.

"And I am Dyrim the Chimecho. It's nice to meet you." The floating blue Pokemon bowed.

"You going to eat or did my morning go to waste?" Demanded Franziska.

"Apologies, dear Franziska. Breakfast looks lovely as ever." Dyrim said with a flourish.

Ezra looked at her plate. There were pancakes drizzled with what looked like honey and raspberries. She took a fork and took a bite. Her taste buds melted in ecstasy.

"This is amazing!" She shrieked.

"Says you." Said Carys, who was glaring at her food.

"What's wrong?" Asked Ezra.

"This isn't what I normally eat." Carys glared at Franziska.

"Neal told me what you prefer. Unfortunately, candy isn't suitable for the morning meal." Franziska glared back at Carys.

"Maybe for you, but candy is my morning, noon, and evening meal. And I function just fine like that." Retorted Carys.

"Wow, no one's ever stood up to Franziska like that." Said Ranna in awe.

"And you will function even better once I annihilate your insatiable desire for candy." Huffed Franziska.

"BLASPHEMY!" Screamed Carys in anger.

The two Pokemon stared daggers at each other. The tension was getting unstable.

"Carys? You know how you wanted to go exploring today?" Asked Ezra, hoping to defuse the situation before a bloodbath commenced.

"What of it?" Demanded Carys, not taking her eyes off of Franziska.

"Well, maybe after we've gotten some more money we can go to Neal's place and buy loads of candy." Offered Ezra.

"…That's not a bad idea! I'll buy up every kind of candy he has! That way I won't have to go without it today. Thanks, Ezzie!" Beamed Carys, who then began digging voraciously into her pancakes.

"Seems like I win, Franzy!" She said between mouthfuls.

"Don't call me Franzy." Growled Franziska.

Everyone laughed and dug in.

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for supporting me! And please, don't be shy about giving me OCs! I'll most likely be updating this evening, so here's the perfect chance! **

**The next chapter shall contain: OCs (both mine and yours), scary dungeons, and lighthearted initiation. **


	5. Chapter 5

After everyone finished their food, Ezra and Carys walked outside.

"Wow…Lily Town looks so much bigger during the day." Marveled Ezra.

"It's pretty awesome, right?" Laughed Carys in agreement.

"Wanna meet Pancham and Sora? They should be up by now." Offered Carys.

"Sure." Nodded Ezra.

"Sweet! Let's start with Sora, since his library is next door." Said Carys, leading Ezra to a building with a giant book on the roof.

"Morning Sora!" Called Carys as the two walked inside.

The library was filled with bookshelves, books, and tables. Most of the walls were filled to the high ceiling with scrolls and books. Whoever this Sora was had to be a great scholar.

"Greetings, Carys. Greetings, Ezra." Said a voice.

A floating green Pokemon came from behind a bookshelf, multiple scrolls in hand. His true body was small, most of it encased in a green overcoat. He had two long arms with three fingers apiece.

"How do you know my name?" Asked Ezra.

"It came to my attention late last night that a Shiny Litwick named Ezra was in town. Said Litwick was planning on making an exploration team with Carys. And what do I see? Carys and a Shiny Litwick. Simple logic, my dear. My name is Sora. My species is known as 'Reuniclus'. I am the librarian here. What do you two desire of me?" Inquired Sora.

"Oh, I just wanted to introduce you to Ezra. Oh! That reminds me! Ezra, Sora might know how to solve your problem!" Carys said excitedly.

"A problem? I would be most happy to solve it, if I am able," Spoke Sora.

"Well, you see….I used to be a human. But yesterday I was turned into a Shiny Litwick. I don't remember anything about my past, only my name. Do you know anything about this?" Asked Ezra.

"A human that lost her memory and was turned into a Pokemon….I am sorry, but I cannot solve your dilemma. I have memorized every single item of literature within this building, and I can say with certainty that there is no mention of this phenomena in here. My deepest regrets." Bowed Sora.

"It's okay. There's got to be an answer somewhere." Shrugged Ezra.

"Indeed. I must return to my studies, so I will bid you two farewell. Feel free to browse my collection anytime." Sora returned back to his bookshelves.

"I'm sorry Sora didn't have an answer." Said Carys as they walked south, towards Pancham's Dojo.

"It's fine. Like I told Sora, I'm sure there's an answer somewhere. Everything happens for a reason." Ezra smiled, trying to cheer her friend up as they arrived at a large, plain building.

"If you insist. Anyway, this is Pancham's Dojo. Let's go inside and say hi." Carys said as they entered.

Inside lay multiple exercise equipment. Punching bags were in one corner, an obstacle course in another, and weights in yet another area. In the middle of the room was a large rectangle painted onto the floor, divided in half. A yellow Pokemon was running the obstacle course.

"Hiya! Whatcha want?" A small, furry Pokemon strutted up to them. It had black and white fur with a leaf in its mouth. This, then, had to be Pancham.

"Good morning, Pancham! We just stopped by to say hello!" Greeted Carys.

"Oh, hey Carys! And you must be Ezra. I heard there was a Shiny Litwick in town. Whassup?" Pancham asked, shaking Ezra's stubby hand.

"Hello, nice to meet you." She smiled.

"Hey, Pancham? What's the record for the obstacle course?" Said the yellow Pokemon, walking up to the three. Most of his body was yellow, but his legs and parts of his face were a dark teal, and he had a cobalt bow on his chest.

"Three minutes and twelve seconds!" Replied Pancham.

"Aww, I was so close, too. Oh well, maybe next time!" Grinned the yellow Pokemon.

"Oh hello!" He said, turning to Carys and Ezra.

"Hi! I'm Carys!" Said Carys

"Hello, I'm Ezra." Said Ezra.

"I'm Ben the Riolu, pleasure to meet you two! I think I'm done for right now, Pancham. I'll see you around." Ben said to Pancham.

"Alrighty! Come back anytime!" Pancham said.

"Did you two see the courtyard yet?" Asked Ben.

"No, what's going on?" Asked Carys, confused.

"I'll show you! Come on!" Ben said as he led the two out of the Dojo and to the main portion of town.

Pokemon of the same species were busy setting up a large stage. They looked exactly like Ben, only blue and black instead of yellow and teal.

"Aren't those Riolu?" Piped Ezra.

"Yep! They're normal Riolu. I'm a Shiny Riolu." Explained Ben.

"Really? Wow!" Said a surprised Ezra.

'Hah, thanks. It's not that big of a deal, really. A lot of Shiny Pokemon have been turning up lately. It's not that rare to see a Shiny Pokemon these days." Ben shrugged good-naturedly.

"So what are they doing?" Asked Ezra, pointing to the Riolu.

"Hm? Oh, they belong to the Hooded Brotherhood Guild." Ben said.

"The Hooded Brotherhood's coming to town? Wow, they haven't come here in a long time!" Exclaimed Carys.

"Who are the Hooded Brotherhood?" Asked Ezra, who was getting tired of asking this question.

"They're a group of Pokemon dedicated to bringing justice to the world. These Riolu are the trainees. The Pokemon running the guild are Sky the Staraptor, Cave the Golem, and Sips the Marshtomp. They're led by the legendary Blue Hood, a Lucario. Whenever they stop at a town they put on awesome demonstrations and allow Pokemon to challenge them. Anyone who's able to defeat Sky, Cave, and Sips gets to challenge Blue Hood himself." A pink and gray Pokemon with a serpentine body said as she slithered up to them.

"Sorry to interrupt you, Ben! Hello, you two! My name's Lafea the Shiny Dratini!" She said.

"Hi Lafea. I'm Ezra the Shiny Litwick, and this is Carys the Pumpkaboo. We're Team Banshee." Greeted Ezra.

"I'd heard there was a new rescue team here! So nice to meet you!" Lafea said.

"So has anyone managed to defeat this Blue Hood guy?" Ezra asked.

"As far as I know, Team Siren are the only ones who've managed to pull it off." Answered Lafea.

"Oh, we're not the only ones." Said a voice behind them.

The four turned to find Team Siren behind them.

"Hello, Ben. Hello, Lafea. Hello, Team Banshee." Meloetta said.

"Morning, Team Siren!" Lafea said cheerfully.

"Hi!" Ben said.

"Who else has defeated Blue Hood?" Asked Carys once the pleasantries subsided.

Dyrim grinned. "None other than our darling Franziska, of course!" He laughed.

"_What?! _You're telling me that _Franzy_ beat the legendary Blue Hood?!" Carys demanded.

"She's one of a kind, I'll give her that." Ranna smirked.

The trio stood to watch the 25 Riolu build the stage.

"They'll be done around this evening, I bet. So the show will be tomorrow. That means exploration teams will be returning before then. The Hooded Brotherhood's shows are always worth seeing." Meloetta commented.

"Neat." Said Ezra.

"Speaking of exploring, that reminds me. You two, Team Banshee. Have you visited a dungeon yet?" Ranna asked.

"Yes, Joyful Forest. Why?" Asked Carys.

"Joyful Forest, eh? Not bad for beginners. But Gleaming Woods is where the real treasure's at." Said Dyrim.

"Really?" Asked Carys, growing interested at the mention of treasure. Meloetta nodded.

"Oh, sure. But no one's ever gone to get it, because they're too scared." She said.

"Too scared? Why?" Asked Ben.

"Gleaming Woods is full of ghosts and shadows. It takes only the bravest Pokemon to enter. But anyone who enters is never seen again." Ranna said in a spooky tone.

"Gosh, how frightening." Lafea commented.

"You kidding? That sounds like fun!" Laughed Carys.

"It does?" Asked Ezra.

"Well, if you two are willing to give it a shot, then why don't you get the treasure of Gleaming Woods yourselves?" Meloetta challenged with a playful grin.

"You're on!" Grinned Carys.

"Um…"Trailed Ezra, who still didn't know how to feel about this sudden development.

"Let's get some items with the Poke we got first, Ez. Then we—"

"No items." Dyrim cut Carys off.

"What?" She asked.

"You can't buy any items. You have to go in with nothing but what you have now." Said Ranna.

"Very well. Where is Gleaming Woods?" Asked Carys after a minute.

"Look in your bag. There should be a Wonder Map inside." Said Meloetta.

Ezra looked, and sure enough, there was a map. She brought it out and spread it for all to see.

"Okay, so this is Lily Town…." Meloetta pointed to a spot on the map.

"And here is Gleaming Woods." Chimed Ranna, pointing to a spot not too far from Lily Town.

"We'll be waiting at Rose's for you when you return. _If_ you return." Dyrim corrected himself.

"We will return, don't you worry! C'mon, Ezra!" Called Carys.

"Bye!" "Bye guys!" Ben and Lafea were saying.

**Gleaming Woods**

They came to the entrance to a dark and spooky forest. The trees were close together and completely bare, even though it was spring.

"This place is a lot creepier than I thought." Carys said in a small voice.

"And I think I know why they call it Gleaming Woods." Ezra added, pointing to hundreds of red, gleaming eyes hidden within the Woods.

"Oh Arceus, that is scary." Squeaked Carys.

"Do you wanna go back?" Ezra asked. She certainly wouldn't mind staying away from the spooky dungeon.

"No way! This is our chance to impress Team Siren! We've got to pull through!" A determined Carys said.

"Alright. Shall we?" Ezra said rhetorically as they entered.

**1F**

The chamber they entered looked the same as the outside of the dungeon. The floor was dead grass, and the trees were so tightly-knit that it was impossible to squeeze between them.

"Let's just find the Stairs quickly and get out of here." Carys said nervously.

Ezra couldn't agree more. They walked down a hallway and into the sights of a small floating Pokemon. It had a black spherical body and was surrounded by purple mist.

"A Gastly! Use your Astonish attack!" Encouraged Carys.

Ezra did just that, and the Gastly disappeared.

"Hey! An apple!" She said, finding one in the corner of the chamber. She put it into the bag, which Carys was holding.

"And there's the Stairs!" Added Carys, spotting them in a dark corner.

**2F**

"The one on the left is a Shuppet, and the other's an Oddish." Carys was explaining as they fought the two Pokemon.

"I really should learn all these different species. I wonder if Sora will let me borrow an encyclopedia." Ezra sighed as she dispatched the Shuppet with an Ember. She was getting used to attacking in such a magical way.

"If sure he will. After dinner—ooooh, Poke!—I'll go get one for you." Said Carys, who was picking up some fallen Poke.

"That pink berry's a Pecha Berry. It heals poison." Carys said to a curious Ezra, who put the berry in the bag.

"Stairs!" Ezra spotted, pointing.

**3F**

"Is it just me or has this place gotten…Spookier? I swear I feel as if we're being watched." Ezra asked nervously as they trekked through the halls and chambers.

"Shh, I'm trying to quell my growing panic." Carys answered, her head darting all over the place for possible threats.

"By the way, why do none of these enemy Pokemon talk?" Ezra asked.

"I dunno. Maybe having been affected by the distortions in space has rendered them mute. I don't really know." Carys answered.

A purple snakelike Pokemon slithered into view.

"An Ekans! Go on, Ezra! I'm going to get that Heal Seed and Sleep Seed!" Carys said as she went to retrieve the items.

The Ekans struck Ezra with its fangs.

"Owww!" She howled. That had really hurt!

"Don't do that again!" She screamed, sending out a purple wave. The Ekans fell instantly.

Ezra was confused. What was that?

"Wow, you learned Hex! Nice!" Carys said, rejoining her friend.

"I learned a new move? That's…kinda awesome." Ezra grinned slowly.

"You know what's even more awesome? Stairs. And there they are." Said Carys.

**4F**

They were lucky enough to have the Stairs in the same room with them. But there was a Gastly in the way. And the dungeon seemed to be closing in on them the farther they went. Indeed, this chamber was much smaller than the ones in the beginning. Team Banshee wanted nothing to do with this dungeon anymore.

"Okay. All we have to do is beat this Gastly. That's it. So why am I so scared?" Babbled Carys.

"I think this dungeon messes with your mind. Even so, I want to get out of here ASAP." Affirmed Ezra.

"The Gastly suddenly conjured a shadowy figure with a terrifying face.

"Scary Face! So spooky!" Wailed Carys.

"I wanna get outta here!" She shouted.

The shadowy figure suddenly lunged at the two.

"Night Shade! Run!" Carys screamed.

The two terrified Pokemon ran past the Gastly and to the Stairs

**Gleaming Woods Clearing**

"Hey…this place is different. And it's lighter here." Ezra noticed once their heart rates had gone back down to normal.

"You're right! And look, there in the middle! Gummis!" Carys said.

They came to the pile of jelly bean-shaped things.

"What are Gummis?" Asked Ezra.

"Gummis are a special treat. There are 18 flavors in all, and they all correspond to each of the 18 types. Here are Purple, Red, and Grass Gummis. Wait…these are our types! What's going on?" Carys demanded.

"Hey, here's a note!" Said Ezra, picking it up and reading it aloud.

"Dear Team Banshee: Congratulations! You've overcome your fears and successfully gotten past Gleaming Woods. Here are some Gummis to celebrate! Meet us back in Lily Town. –Team Siren."

"Wait, they put these Gummis here?" Carys asked.

"I guess so. Come on, let's go back." Said Ezra. They exited the creepy dungeon and did not look back.

**Lily Town**

"Hey! You guys made it!" Ranna grinned back at the commons room in Rose's Lofts.

"Why'd you trick us into going there?" Demanded Carys.

"To help you overcome any fears you might have while exploring. While exploring may be difficult at times, it's important to never give up and never let your doubts get the best of you. We didn't mean any harm by it. It's a little test we like to do to new exploration teams, to help boost their confidence in themselves." Explained Meloetta.

"I guess that makes sense." Said Ezra doubtfully. "When did you three put all those Gummis there?"

"Last night. We heard from Rose that you two were new, so we spent the night gathering the Gummis and putting them in the clearing. That's why we were late to breakfast today." Explained Dyrim.

"We won't pull any tricks on you anymore. In fact, tomorrow you two can do your first mission. I'll even come along to give you tips, if you'd like." Meloetta offered.

"Explore? With _Meloetta_? Of course!" Carys exclaimed.

"Then it's settled!" Meloetta grinned.

"Dinner's ready!" Franziska called from the mess hall.

"I'll eat what Franzy gives me, but afterwards I'm going to Neal's, and then I'm going to pass out after eating my weight in Gummis and candy!" Declared Carys.

"Don't call me Franzy!" Franziska yelled.

**The next chapter shall contain: A show, a sister, and appalling alliteration.**


	6. Chapter 3 The Shard

Chapter 3. The Shard

"Good morning, Team Banshee." Ezra and Carys were wakened by a musical voice.

Ezra opened her eyes to find Meloetta standing in their doorway.

"Hi, what are you doing here?" Ezra asked, rubbing her eye. She seemed to have only one, since wax covered the area where the other would be.

"Waking you up before Franziska does." Meloetta said wryly.

"Yeah, thanks for that." Carys winced.

Last night after dinner, everyone in the building went to relax in the commons room. Carys had indeed bought all of Neal's remaining candy and spent the entire evening eating it slowly in front of the temperamental Dewott, savoring every bite. Needless to say, Carys and Franziska were not on good terms.

"Breakfast should be ready soon. I'll see you two in a few minutes!" Meloetta danced out of their room.

"That was nice of her." Commented Carys, popping a Purple Gummi in her mouth.

Carys had also borrowed an encyclopedia on Pokemon from Sora, and Ezra had spent her evening studying it. She had also learned about the 18 flavors of Gummis, all corresponding to a different type. Purple was for ghosts, red for fire, and grass for, well…grass. She found that Purple Gummis tasted like candy (much to the joy of Carys) and Red tasted like cinnamon, spicy in a comfortable way. Ezra had tried a Grass Gummi, and found it tasted like peas. It was tasty, but she preferred Purple and Red. Carys had found Red Gummis to be too spicy for her taste.

"It was. Let's go see who else is up." Suggested Ezra. They went out to the common room to find the Bravo Specials playing a card game.

The Bravo Specials had arrived at the Lofts when Team Banshee had returned from Gleaming Woods. They were an exploration team dedicated to fighting crime and outlaws, like Team Dauntless. They were the only newcomers there. The leader, a Chesnaught named Roman, had explained that most of the other exploration teams were too busy dealing with trouble elsewhere. "Unfortunately not many Pokemon can spare the time and energy to come watch the Hooded Brotherhood," He had said with a sigh.

"Hey, Ezra and Carys!" Roman greeted them with a wave.

"Yo, Team Banshee!" Grayson, a Zangoose, nodded.

"Morning." A Greninja named Ambrose said.

"Sup?" Mercury, a Noivern, asked.

"Hi guys! Ready for the show today?" Carys grinned, cheerful as usual.

"You bet!" Mercury laughed.

"Morning, all." Yawned Vaporeon, entering the room with Sylveon.

"Morning, Dauntless!" Greeted Grayson.

"Do we get a 'good morning' too?" Asked Macargo, his team entering from another hallway.

"Of course! Good morning, Geo." Ambrose said.

"Siren should already be in the mess hall." Roman added.

"Breakfast is ready!" Franziska called from the mess hall.

"Punctual as usual, she is." Chuckled Sylveon.

The four teams entered the refectory, where Team Siren were indeed waiting.

"Toast today, from the smell of it." Grayson said, sniffing the air.

After everyone had arrived, Franziska had indeed made toast for everyone.

"Oh! Rose, I hear Team Valkyrie is coming to see the show today." Said Noibat to Rose, who perked up at the mention of the name.

"Really? That's wonderful!" Rose beamed as Franziska took everyone's finished plates.

"How so?" Asked Ezra.

"The leader of Team Valkyrie is my sister!" Rose grinned.

"Wow, really? That's awesome!" Said Carys.

"The show should be starting soon. I say we go out and get the good spots before they're taken. If there are any left." Ambrose said.

"Good idea." Agreed Vaporeon.

Everyone, even Franziska, left the Lofts and headed towards the main courtyard.

"Rosie!" A voice shrieked.

"Chrysi!" Rose shouted in joy as a tall green Pokemon ran and embraced her. On closer inspection, the Pokemon was a Lilligant.

A Vespiquen and a Nidorina followed.

"Rose! Long time no see!" The Nidorina laughed.

"Team Banshee, this is Team Valkyrie." Rose introduced after the sisters finished their embrace.

"Hi!" "Hello." Carys and Ezra said.

"Morning! My name's Chrysanthemum, but that's a mouthful, so call me Chrysi! I'm Rose's adopted Lilligant sister." Chrysi said.

"I'm Trina the Nidorina. Nice to meet ya." Trina nodded.

"And I'm Milana the Vespiquen." Milana said.

"Ready for the show?" Trina asked.

"You bet! C'mon, let's go get our seats!" Roman suggested.

Team Banshee found themselves seated near Ben and Lafea.

"Morning! Lovely day, isn't it?" Ben smiled.

"Sure is! Is that candy I see, Lafea?" Carys inquired.

"Yep! Neal makes the best Pecha Berry gumdrops. Would you like—"

"_Yes._" Carys interrupted.

"Carys!" Ezra exclaimed.

"No no, it's okay, really! I don't mind sharing." Lafea laughed, nudging the box of candy over to Carys, who at least had the restraint to take a few and move the box back to Lafea.

Ezra sighed at her friend's insatiable taste for candy. Maybe Franziska had a point about wanting to wean her off of the sugary treats.

"It's starting!" Carys shrieked.

Fireworks were being shot off, creating beautiful explosions of color against the cloudless sky.

A light mist settled over the stage, and when it lifted, three Pokemon had appeared.

"Hellooooo Lily Town!" The one in the middle cheered. The crowd responded with similar enthusiasm.

"We are the Hooded Brotherhood! I'm Sips the Marshtomp!" The one in the middle went on. He had a blue hood on and a brown bow tie.

"And I'm Cave the Golem." The one on the left said. He had a dark brown hood and a green tie.

"And I am Sky the Staraptor." The flying one said. He had yellow sunglasses and a sky blue hood.

"And our leader is the legendary Blue Hood, but he won't appear unless someone can defeat all three of us. Does anyone think they can?" Sips challenged. A few Pokemon called out their challenges but most of the audience stayed silent, knowing they could never take on such a powerful team.

"I see we have a few takers! But first, let me tell you a little bit about us. We are a guild dedicated to fighting crime. We allow no mercy to those who think they can get away with breaking the law. If anyone would like to join us, please see Cave after the show. But keep in mind, our training is not for the weak-hearted. You have to be swift!" At this cue from Sips, Sky suddenly launched himself high in the air.

He then began to dive straight for the ground. When it appeared he would crash, he made a 90-degree turn at the last second, flying centimeters above the ground. The audience went wild, and Ezra found herself cheering too.

"You have to be strong!" Sips went on.

With this, Cave jumped high, then landed hard on the ground, creating an earthquake strong enough to displace a few items but carefully weak enough to not destroy the town.

"My candy!" Carys screamed in rage, her candy having been flung far away from the stage by the jolt.

"And you have to be able to think on your feet!" Sips finished.

Sky and Cave suddenly dove at Sips, but the Marshtomp used a Water Gun attack to launch himself high above the two. Everyone cheered.

"So. Who thinks they can take us on? Don't be shy!" Sips invited.

"Can we do it again?" Ranna asked mischievously.

Sips got a look of horror on his face.

"No! That was embarrassing, being put to sleep not even a second after the match began. I still have that Sing attack stuck in my head. No, Team Siren, one embarrassment is enough. But come up on stage." He said. They did.

"Can I go again, then?" Franziska asked with one raised eyebrow.

"_NO!"_ All three of them screamed in terror.

"My left wing still hasn't fully recovered from that Razor Shell." Complained Sky.

"And that Aqua Tail left me in a full body cast for weeks." Added Cave.

"Franziska, you are too powerful for us. No second go-around for you either. But join Team Siren up here." Sips said. She did.

"These here are the four Pokemon who've been able to defeat all three of us and our leader, Blue Hood. They've done the impossible, so give them a hand!" Sips shouted, clapping with everyone else.

"Would any of you like to try and join them?" Challenged Cave.

"We'll do it." Chrysi said.

"Awesome! If everyone could move back from the battlefield, we'll get this show going." Said Sky. Everyone moved well back from the intended battlefield.

"This will be a 3v3 battle. Franziska will be the judge. What are your names, ladies?" Asked Sips.

"We're Team Valkyrie! I'm Chrysi." Chrysi said.

"I'm Trina." Trina nodded.

"And I'm Milana!" Said Milana, flexing her arms.

"Well, Team Valkyrie, prepare to get beaten!" Cave exclaimed.

"Begin!" Shouted Franziska.

Immediately Chrysi planted seeds on Sips. They grew to entrap him completely, and glowed red.

"Hey! Get this Leech Seed off of me!" He shouted, trying to free himself.

Milana and Sky were having a sky battle. Milana was Slashing at Sky, but the Staraptor was too fast for her. Suddenly he moved next to her and began striking quickly with his wings.

"Ooh, Close Combat. Nice." Whistled Carys.

Trina was busy dodging Power-Up Punches from Cave. She then turned to bite his arm.

"Ahhh! That Poison Fang poisoned me!" He roared in pain, clutching his arm.

Meanwhile, Chrysi was busy draining energy from a still-bound Sips. One last Giga Drain and he was down.

"Sips is unable to continue!" Franziska shouted.

Chrysi turned just in time for Trina to be knocked out by an Earthquake. Chrysi was affected too, but didn't seem overly hurt.

"Trina is unable to continue." Reported Franziska.

"Wanna see power? Then try my Petal Dance!" She taunted, sending a storm of petals onto Cave.

"Oh yeah? Try my Explosion." Cave said with a wicked grin.

What?!" Chrysi gasped as Cave glowed white, then sent out an enormous amount of energy.

Chrysi tried to shield herself with Protect, but the blast was too strong and it failed.

"Ahhh!" She cried as she and Cave went down.

"Cave and Chrysi are both out of the match!" Shouted Franziska. It was up to Milana now.

She had been taking heavy hits from Sky, who knew that she was weak to flying-type moves.

"Any last words?" He asked, circling around her.

"Yes…" She panted.

"Do tell me." He said.

"Destiny Bond." Milana said simply. She glowed purple for a second, and then Sky glowed purple as well.

"No! You fool, this means that we tie!" Sky protested.

"Better than me losing." Milana replied.

"What's Destiny Bond?" Asked Ezra. She had been studying moves, but she hadn't read this one yet.

"If Milana faints, then Sky will too." Carys said back.

"We're at a stalemate, as per Milana's Destiny Bond. This match is a tie!" Declared Franziska. The crowd cheered for both sides.

"Nice job, sis!" Rose said, hugging her sister.

"Wait, you're Rose's sister? Wow, cool." Said Sips, walking up to the trio.

"Good battle. We haven't had a challenge like that in a long time." Cave said, shaking the trio's hands.

"I just came back from speaking with Blue Hood. He says that next time he expects to face you three in battle." Sips added.

"Tell him he won't be disappointed." Trina grinned wickedly.

Sips, Cave, and Sky climbed back on stage.

"Well! That was an intense battle! Would anyone else like to give it a shot?" Sky offered.

The crowd remained silent.

"Really? Okay. Well, we'll be here all day, so if anyone changes their mind, come and see us!" Sips said. With that, the crowd began to disperse. A few remained to speak with the Hooded Brotherhood.

"That. Was. Amazing!" Carys shouted to Team Valkyrie.

"Thanks. It was a lot of fun." Said Chrysi.

"Team Banshee!" Ben cried, running up to them. He looked worried.

"What's wrong, Ben?" Ezra asked.

"I just got word from Ivysaur that a friend of mine is trapped in a dungeon." He said.

"Whaaat? Who? When? Where? Why?" Demanded Carys.

"My friend Torchic went to explore Parched Plains a little after midnight. But he hasn't returned. I hate to ask, but can you make sure he's not in any trouble?" Ben asked.

"Of course!" Ezra exclaimed.

"I'm coming too, like I said I would." Meloetta said, coming over.

"Then it's settled. We're going immediately!" Declared Carys.

"I know where Parched Plains is. It's not that far from Lily Town. Let's go, Torchic could be in serious trouble!" Meloetta said.

"Good luck, you three." Rose said as the three raced off to Parched Plains.

**A/N: Forgot to do this yesterday (whoops) but thanks to: Ckbrothers for the Hooded Bortherhood Guild; Luckylugia for Lafea; ExorCrasher for the Bravo Specials; and Gara316 for Ben! (The rest are mine)**

**The next chapter shall contain: a rescue mission, a pond, and a mysterious relic.**


	7. Chapter 7

Ezra, Carys, and Meloetta arrived at Parched Plains a little after noon.

"Wow, I see why they call it Parched Plains. It's so hot, and all the grass is dead." Said Carys, turning her body away from the sweltering sun.

"This area is currently being affected by a huge drought, no thanks to the natural disasters. But I can give you a history lesson later. Come on! Torchic could be in serious trouble!" Meloetta said, impatient.

"Right." Said Ezra as the three went in.

**Parched Plains**

**1F**

The chamber the three spawned in held dead grass and dense walls everywhere.

"So if this is a plains, then why are there rocks?" Asked Carys as they got moving.

"'Plains' is the best word to describe this particular Mystery Dungeon. They aren't really held to the same standards as normal biomes and land formations. By the way, have you two been using your phasing abilities?" Asked Meloetta, picking up a Blast Seed and giving it to Carys.

"Phasing abilities? What are they?" Asked Ezra, confused.

"Certain types have special abilities. Fire-types can walk on lava without being damaged, water-types can walk on deep water, flying types or those with Levitate can fly over gaps, and ghost-types can phase through walls. You really didn't know?" Explained Meloetta.

"No, we didn't. Wow! I want to try!" Said Ezra.

"Be careful, as phasing uses a lot of energy, and drains your hunger. Also, you can't use it to avoid attacks, unfortunately. Mystery Dungeon rules, not mine." Advised Meloetta.

"How do you phase?" Asked Carys.

"I can't do it myself, but I've heard it described as willing your body to become intangible. Excuse me, one sec—Hyper Voice!—sorry, Maractus in the way." Meloetta, who was leading, said as she took out a tall, green cactus-like Pokemon with her voice. The halls in dungeons made it near impossible for two Pokemon to walk side by side.

Ezra tried it. She pictured herself becoming intangible, and willed it to happen. She touched the nearest wall, and to her delight her hand went right through it!

"I did it!" She shouted with glee, going fully into the wall.

"So did I!" Carys said a moment later, joining her.

Ezra found she could faintly see Carys in the wall, and Meloetta was fully visible.

"Can you see us?" Ezra inquired.

"Good job! Yes, I can. I can't attack you when you're in walls, but throwing items such as Gravelrocks can." Meloetta said as the two returned to the dungeon proper.

"What are Gravelrocks?" Asked Ezra.

"I'll explain on the next floor, as there's the Stairs!" Said Meloetta as they came into a chamber.

**2F**

"Gravelrocks are one type of throwing items. You throw such items in order to damage your opponent. There are Gravelrocks, Iron Thorns, Sticks, Geo Pebbles...To name a few. Me and my team go after the rare ones such as Rare Fossils and Gold Thorns." Explained Meloetta.

"Oh! There's a Gravelrock now." She said, picking a couple up in a corner.

The rocks were small, but heavy. There were four total.

"You can carry up to 99 of each type at a time. They're very useful for enemies that are too far away to attack." Meloetta advised.

"Thanks, Meloetta." Ezra said gratefully.

"That reminds me: Why did you form an exploration team, Meloetta?" Carys asked as they found the Stairs.

**3F**

"Well, I come from a place far away called Singing Hills. It's a Mystery Dungeon, and I lived in the depths of it. I grew tired of doing nothing but sing and dance to the same audience every day. I wanted more than that; I wanted to go out and explore the world and be more than just the music legendary. I wanted to be famous for something else! So, I decided I would be an explorer, while keeping my music-related abilities sharp. Soon I found Ranna and Dyrim, two Pokemon who had similar dreams to my own. We decided we would travel the world together and make a name for ourselves. And we did! My dream has become my reality, and I wouldn't have it any other way." Meloetta explained, in between fighting Cacnea and Cyndaquils.

"Wow…That's incredible." Breathed Carys.

"You two are exploring in order to unlock the secret of Ezra's past, right?" Meloetta asked, giving Carys a Blue Gummi to put in their bag.

"That's right." Ezra nodded.

"Well, I'm sure you two will succeed." Said Meloetta as they found the Stairs.

**4F**

**Weather condition: Sunny**

"Wow! It's so sunny!" Said Carys.

"Weather exists inside Mystery Dungeons. Harsh sun such as this will strengthen fire-type moves and weaken water-type moves." Meloetta explained kindly.

"Well, finding the Stairs won't be too hard." Ezra said wryly. They had spawned right next to them.

**5F**

**Weather condition: Sunny**

"Relic Song!" Sang Meloetta, sending musical notes to the enemy Sandshrew.

As it collapsed, she transformed. Her "hair" now was brown, and curled in a sort of beehive upon her head. Her "dress" became more tutu-like.

"What happened?" Marveled Ezra.

"Hm? Oh, Relic Song changes me into my Pirouette Form, which lets me dance exceptionally. I'll change back into Aria Form—my normal form—when we leave the dungeon." Meloetta explained.

"Wow, I wish I could do that," Ezra said shyly. A thought came to her.

"I've been meaning to ask, how does Rose—Ow! Stupid Cacnea! Ember!—pay for her employees and other expenses? Does she charge rent?" Ezra asked worriedly. Carys took large sums of money from their funds in order to fuel her candy addiction. At this rate, they'd go bankrupt in days.

"She does, but we—Team Siren—pay for it. We've garnered more money than we know what to do with on our adventures, so we pay for other exploration teams' rents for them. And before you say it's not necessary of us to do that, we really don't mind. In fact, we prefer to pay for others. Like I said before, we have a ton of money that we're not going to use. It'd be shame to let it just go to waste, and we like to help others." Meloetta explained.

"Thanks so much. We owe you guys, big time." Ezra said.

"You can pay me back by finding out how Ezra got here and lost her memory~" Meloetta winked playfully, dancing up the Stairs.

**6F**

**Weather condition: Sunny**

"Ah, there's a Rainy Orb. Let me teach you two about Orbs." Said Meloetta, picking it up and bringing it to them. The Orb was blue, with raindrops decorating the outside.

"Orbs have mysterious powers to them. Some, such as this, change the weather on the current floor. Others harm enemies. There are all kinds of Orbs; too many for me to explain at once. They can be used only once, though, and their effect will go away once you reach the next floor. Activate it by breaking it." Encouraged Meloetta.

Ezra took it and threw it on the ground. Clouds swirled up from the broken Orb, and swelled into the sky. Immediately, the area grew dark, and rain started to fall.

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

"Ah! It's rainy!" Carys said redundantly.

"Rain will strengthen water-type moves while weakening fire." Said Meloetta.

"Thanks." Scowled Ezra, trying in vain to cover her flame.

"Stupid stubby arms!" She shouted angrily.

"At least you _have_ arms." Carys said wryly. Meloetta laughed.

"Sorry about that, Ezra. Luckily the Stairs are here."

**7F**

**Weather condition: Sunny**

Meloetta froze the instant the spawned.

"That seed. Get it." She said, pointing to something nearby.

"This sparkly one? Why, what is it?" Asked Ezra, picking it up.

"A Reviver Seed. If you faint in a dungeon or boss battle, it will instantly revive you, but only once. Afterwards it turns into a Plain Seed. They are _incredibly _useful for expeditions where you find yourself overpowered. You don't need to eat it or anything; just keep it in your bag and it will work." Meloetta said.

"Whoa." Was all Ezra and Carys could say.

"So where are the Stairs, do you think?" Asked Carys, looking around.

"Uh…" Trailed Ezra, looking down.

"What happ—HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, Arceus, that is _hilarious!_ How does that even happen?!" Guffawed Carys. Ezra had spawned right on top of the Stairs.

**Parched Plains Pit**

"Hey! We made it! Let's look for Torchic." Said Carys as they came to a large, rocky clearing.

"Is that him up there?" Pointed Ezra, gesturing to a Pokemon up ahead.

As the three ran closer, Ezra could see that the Pokemon's leg was caught under a boulder.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Demanded Carys as Meloetta and Ezra broke the boulder with their attacks.

"Here, have an Oran Berry." Ezra said, giving the berry to the small orange Pokemon.

"Ugh….thanks." It grimaced.

"What happened? Can you move your leg at all?" Asked a concerned Meloetta.

"I was exploring this place when an avalanche made a rock fall on my leg….I can't move it; it's too painful. I think it's broken." It winced.

Meloetta was busy tying its leg with sticks and long grass.

"This splint will do until we can get you back to Lily Town. You're Torchic, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" He asked.

"Your friend Ben alerted us. I'm Meloetta, and this is Ezra and Carys of Team Banshee. Now, let's get you back home," She said, giving Torchic a Tepiggyback ride.

**Lily Town**

"Ohmygosh, thank you three _so_ much for finding Torchic!" Ben was saying. They had taken the injured Pokemon to Sora's library, as the Reuniclus was the nearest thing to a doctor Lily Town had.

"It's no trouble. I'm just glad he's okay. Well, _going_ to be okay." Amended Carys.

"I seriously owe you guys. Anything you need, just ask." Said Ben, giving the three a hug.

"Will do. We'd better get back to the Lofts before Franziska has an aneurysm over our tardiness." Ezra said.

_The next day…._

"_Get up!"_ Franziska shouted at the top of her lungs before leaving their room.

"Morning to you too, Franzy." Muttered Carys. A shell came whirling into the room to graze Carys's body.

"Ow! Don't Razor Shell me!" She yelled.

Ezra chuckled and headed into the commons room. The Bravo Specials had left the previous evening, stating that they were needed in the far east. Team Dauntless was planning on leaving after breakfast to go on a long outlaw-hunting spree. Only Team Geo, Team Valkyrie, and Team Siren were going to stick around for a while longer. The Hooded Brotherhood had been busy packing up their things last night, and were going to leave later in the afternoon.

"Hello Ezra!" Chrysi greeted her as her team headed to the mess hall.

"Hello! How are you three doing?" Ezra inquired.

"We're pretty good! That battle with the Hooded Brotherhood made us more confident in ourselves, and we plan on training hard in order to beat Blue Hood himself." Trina winked mischievously.

"Awesome." Ezra said as everyone came to breakfast.

Franziska had just finished serving food when Lafea came running in.

"You guys! A new Mystery Dungeon has just been discovered!" She cried.

"_Whaaaat?!"_ Everyone shouted.

"Yeah, they say it appeared overnight, literally! They're calling it Dappled Pond, and they say that there's a mysterious treasure at the end!" Lafea went on.

"What's the treasure?" Asked Dyrim.

"No one knows! Rumor has it that a monster hid its treasure at the end of the dungeon last night." Said Lafea.

"A new dungeon?" Asked Macargo.

"Unknown treasure?" Added Ranna.

"A monster?" Chimed Milana.

"Something to explore?" Marveled Carys.

"Yup." Lafea nodded.

"We gotta go find it!" Exclaimed Carys.

"We have a dungeon we need to map!" Exclaimed Noibat.

"We have a mystery treasure to find!" Shouted Meloetta.

"We have something amazing to explore!" Grinned Carys.

"We have a monster to beat!" Cheered Chrysi.

"We're staying behind. We go after criminals, not trinkets." Sylveon said firmly.

The four teams followed Lafea to the new dungeon, leaving Rose, her employees, and Team Dauntless behind.

"Exploration teams." Rose sighed, shaking her head.

"If they don't bring back something interesting, they won't be getting dinner tonight." Franziska threatened.

**Dappled Pond**

Lafea led the four teams to a small, sunlit pond. Stairs led down into the pond, and the water actively avoided the stairs, defying gravity.

"All right, teams. Whoever gets to the treasure first gets to keep it!" Chrysi grinned wickedly.

"You're on!" Meloetta smirked.

"We'll go one at a time inside, so the dungeon can reset itself for the next team. Team Banshee can go first, since they're the newest." Said Seadra.

"Go on ahead, you two." Lafea said, nodding in the direction of the entrance.

"Okay, see you guys later!" Carys said as they entered.

**B1F**

Whoa, look, the floor is shallow water." Carys said, looking down.

"I don't like this place." Said Ezra nervously.

"Pipe down, candle girl. We gotta find the treasure before everyone else does! Argh, I bet Team Siren's already there!" Complained Carys as they went through a hall and into another chamber.

"Well there's the first set of Stairs." Ezra rolled her eyes as they ascended.

**B2F**

"Razor Leaf!" Cried Carys, sending the leaves onto a Squirtle.

"And Hex!" Added Ezra, defeating a Marill.

"I never thought I'd be so scared of water." Commented Ezra as she picked up 98 Poke.

"Hopefully this place isn't too big." Agreed Carys.

**B3F**

"What do you think the unknown treasure is?" Asked Carys.

"I dunno. I haven't been here long enough to hazard a guess." Shrugged Ezra.

"Maybe it's a licorice forest! Or a lollipop flower field!" Guessed Carys, licking her lips at the thought.

"We're in a pond, Carys. That doesn't make sense." Ezra said.

"Hush. My fantasy, my rules."

**B4F**

The room they had spawned in housed a Wartortle and Quilfish. Ezra was busy dealing with them both while Carys picked up a Stun Seed and a Sunny Orb.

"Hex!" She was saying, trying in vain to defeat the two before they defeated her instead. The Hex took out the Quilfish, but the Wartortle unleashed a Water Pulse at her.

"Aahh!" She shrieked, everything going black. A bright light flashed, then suddenly she was wide awake.

"Wh-what just happened?!" She demanded.

"You fainted! Are you okay?" Carys fretted.

"I did? Oh…I-I'm okay, I think. Where's Wartortle?" Ezra asked, looking around.

"I pummeled it while you were out. Maybe I should be the defender, and you the item-gatherer." Carys suggested gently.

"Yeah, I would prefer not fainting again. That was horrible! Everything went black, and then suddenly I was awake!" She exclaimed, holding her head in her hands.

"You poor thing. Here, have this apple." Carys said, nudging one out of their bag.

"I _am_ starting to get hungry." Ezra admitted as she sat down to eat the juicy apple. She found herself at full strength.

"Let's go! Oh, hey, I can see the Stairs in the next chamber from this room!" She exclaimed.

**B5F**

"Hey, you should see what our Blue Gummi from Parched Plains tastes like," Ezra was saying to Carys.

"Oooh, sure!" Carys said as she fished it out and swallowed it whole.

"So?" Ezra inquired after a minute.

"Watermelon." Carys said definitely. Ezra burst out laughing.

"Of _all _the things it could have been, and it was _watermelon_?!" She giggled.

"Watermelon's juicy. And it has 'water' in it. Blue Gummis are for water-types." Argued Carys.

"It couldn't have tasted like water?" Snorted Ezra.

"Water doesn't really taste like anything. And that would be boring." Said Carys.

"But _watermelon_?" Demanded Ezra.

"I don't make Gummis; go talk to the creators."

"_Watermelon?"_

"You're hopeless."

**Dappled Pond Bottom**

The area they came out of was a large lakebed. No one was around.

"Wait, we actually came first?! This is indescribable! This is—oooh, there's something shiny over there! Let's grab it before everyone else comes!" Carys squealed.

Indeed, something large and glowing was resting in the shallows up ahead. The two trudged up to the thing. It was shaped like a stretched-out pentagon, and had multiple colors swirling across the top.

"Wow, I wonder what this is! I've never seen anything like it! Ez, I dare you to touch it." Marveled Carys.

"Alright." Ezra said, touching the top.

She was suddenly overwhelmed by intense power, and images of powerful ocean waves crashing onto a cliff flew through her mind. She let the thing go, shaking her head in wonder.

"So?" Demanded Carys.

"Whatever it is, it's very powerful. I got images of the ocean from it. It reminds me of the water-type." Ezra reported.

"Whoa." Carys could only say.

"No fair, you guys beat us!" Seadra's voice came from behind.

The two turned to see all three teams walking up to them.

"Nice job, Team Banshee!" Meloetta grinned.

"Aww, there's no monster here!" Chrysi pouted, looking around.

"What's that?" Asked Trina, nodding towards the shard.

"We don't know." Carys shrugged.

"Let us see?" Asked Dyrim, his team looking at it.

"I've never seen anything like this, and we've seen all kinds of rare treasures." He said, confused.

"Yeah, I'm drawing a blank." Ranna agreed.

"It almost looks like—but that's impossible." Said Meloetta, shaking her head.

"Looks like what?" Asked Macargo.

"Nothing. Anyway, since Team Banshee found this…Mysterious Shard first, they get to keep it. We can bring it back to the Lofts, and maybe Sora can give us an answer." Meloetta suggested.

"Yeah, let's do that tomorrow." Agreed Milana.

"Us three will be here until morning, probably, so tell Franziska not to worry about us." Said Noibat as the other three teams left.

**A/N: Did not mean for this chapter to be so long. Whoops. Sorry.**

**The next chapter will contain: a departing Riolu, an escort mission, and a clueless Sora.**


	8. Chapter 4 The Missing Explorer

Chapter 4. The Missing Explorer

The next day, Ezra woke up naturally. This was strange; usually Meloetta or Franziska woke them. She walked out of their room, letting the sleeping Carys lie, and into the commons room. Team Valkyrie was playing chess. They all looked up as she entered.

"Morning, Ezra." Chrysi greeted.

"Morning. No one came to wake us up. How come?" Ezra asked.

"You two were so tired from the excitement of finding that Mysterious Shard that we all decided to let you two sleep in today." Milana explained kindly.

After everyone—minus the dedicated, geography-loving Team Geo—had gotten home from Dappled Pond yesterday, Franziska had shouted verbal abuse at them for wasting her perfectly good food. But she uncharacteristically forgave them all when she saw the Mysterious Shard they had brought back. The Shard was about three feet tall, two and a half feet wide, and five inches thick. Colors of all shades continued to dance across the surface, aweing Rose and her employees. No one knew what it was. It was merely a Mysterious Shard, which now lay against one wall of their room. But everyone did agree that they got visions of water when they touched it. Ezra and Carys having been so excited to have found an unknown treasure, following stops to Kangaskhan, Jumpluff, and the Kecleon Brothers' shops, immediately passed out after a celebratory feast from Franziska.

"Oh. That was incredibly kind of you all. Thank you." Ezra bowed.

"I haven't slept through breakfast, have I?" Ezra fretted.

They had only managed to escape Franziska's wrath by bringing home treasure yesterday; Ezra wasn't sure skipping another meal so soon was a good idea.

"Oh no, Franziska would definitely have woken you if you had, treasure or no." Trina reassured.

"Alright. I'm going to wake Carys, and then I'll see everyone at breakfast." Ezra said, going back into their room.

She laid her eye on the Shard, resting peacefully against the far wall. Suddenly she felt a stir in her mind.

**_! That thing in the corner-!** _Exclaimed Voice.

_Hi, Voice. I haven't heard from you in a while._

_**Apologies. Things have been…difficult. Go to that Shard. I must see it!** _Voice demanded.

_Wait, you can see it?_

_**Yes. I can see everything you see, everything you hear, and so on. But I have to be contacting you—like I'm doing now—in order to do so.**_

Ezra shrugged and went over to the Shard.

**_It is! Ezra, where did you find this?** _Voice demanded.

_No need to be pushy. Carys and I found it in a place called Dappled Pond yesterday. Why didn't you notice yesterday? _Asked Ezra curiously.

**_Ugh. I was….occupied…at the time. I'd rather not get into details. Thank you for finding this. Perhaps there's hope after all…**_

_Why? Do you know what this is?_

_**I do, but it's too dangerous for me to tell you. All I can say safely is that you _must_ keep this safe. It's very dear to me, and more important than you could ever fathom. _Please_ keep it safe, and please do not tell anyone—even Carys—about me.** _ Voice begged.

_Okay, okay! Sheesh._

_**Thank you. I must go now, but I will be in touch soon.**_

_Bye, Voice._

Ezra turned to see Carys stirring.

"Yawn...Wait, what? No one's waking me up?" She said, floating into the air.

"Yeah, everyone decided to let us sleep in today. Let's go to breakfast." Suggested Ezra.

"Sweet!" Trilled Carys as they joined everyone else in the cafeteria.

Since Team Dauntless left yesterday, it was down to Team Geo, Team Siren, Team Valkyrie, and Team Banshee.

Franziska raised an eyebrow as everyone sat down.

"I didn't even have to alert you all. Hm. Perhaps there's hope for you all yet, though I'm not holding my breath on it." She remarked as she went to serve her food.

"We love you too, Franzy!" Called Carys.

A lone scalchop came whirling out of the kitchen to hit Carys.

"Ow!" She complained. Everyone laughed merrily.

After breakfast, Team Geo met Team Banshee downstairs.

"Now that you two have settled in a little bit, and all the hullabaloo's over, why don't you do a job today?" Macargo invited.

"You mean like a rescue mission?" Piped Carys, growing excited.

"Yes, precisely." He nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea! What do you have in mind?" Ezra asked.

"Well, here are some of today's jobs that require going into dungeons you two have already gone into before. That would be…Joyful Forest, Gleaming Woods, Parched Plains, and Dappled Pond, if I'm correct." Pondered Seadra.

"I'm not going into Gleaming Woods. Too scary." Carys said adamantly.

"Or Dappled Pond. For obvious reasons." Added Ezra, pointing to the flame atop her head.

Noibat flicked through the list of papers she held, discarding a few.

"Well, here's what's left." She said, giving the new pile to Ezra.

She looked it over. Some Pokemon needed to be rescued, or wanted someone else rescued. Others wanted an item brought to them, and others wanted to be escorted to a certain floor. A particular job caught her eye.

"Greetings. My name is Sandshrew. I study the effects of dungeon items. Right now I'm researching X-Eye Seeds. I am told by reliable sources that one can be found on 4F of Parched Plains. I've tried to go there myself, but I keep getting knocked out…If someone could help me, I will reward them with 200 Poke and a Reviver Seed. I will be waiting at the entrance to aforementioned dungeon." The letter said.

"Let's do this one." Said Ezra, showing Carys the paper.

"Let's see….Sandshrew….X-Eye Seeds…Parched Plains…cool rewards…I don't see why we can't." Carys grinned.

"Then it's settled! Let's start off immediately!" Said Ezra.

"Have fun!" Seadra said as Team Geo went off to do their own things.

"We have: 150 Poke, two apples, two Oran Berries, a Blast Seed, a Stun Seed, and four Gravelrocks!" Reported Carys, going over their items.

"That's plenty for this expedition! Let's go!" Laughed Ezra as they exited the Lofts.

As they began to leave Lily Town, a familiar voice called out to them.

"Hey! Wait up, you two!"

The two turned to see Ben, laden with a backpack, running up to them.

"Hi Ben! Whatcha up to?" Asked Carys.

"Nothing much; I'm just leaving for an expedition." Ben said.

"Wow! Where are you going?" Asked Ezra.

"I'm going to a place called Jungle Thicket. Mr. Sora's sending me out there, as it supposedly has rare medicinal herbs. Don't worry; I won't be gone terribly long. I should be back by tonight. Tomorrow at the latest." Ben laughed.

"Oh, okay. How's Torchic doing?" Asked Carys.

"He's doing just fine. Confined to his bed, much to his consternation. I think Team Valkyrie's going to escort him back to his house by the south coast once his leg heals a bit more. Anyway, where are you two headed?" Ben inquired.

"We're going to escort a Sandshrew through Parched Plains." Replied Ezra.

"Awesome! Well, I gotta go. I'll see you two tonight or tomorrow!" Ben said, turning in a different direction.

"Bye!" Team Banshee called.

**Parched Plains**

They arrived at Parched Plains soon after, where a small yellow Pokemon was waiting.

"Hi! Are you Sandshrew?" Asked the ever-cheerful Carys.

"Yes, I am. Who are you two?" The Sandshrew asked.

"We're Team Banshee! I'm Carys, and this is Ezra! We're here to escort you to 4F!" Beamed Carys.

"Excellent! Shall we begin, before the day grows stale?" Inquired Sandshrew.

"Indeed." Agreed Ezra.

**1F**

"So, Sandshrew, why are you studying dungeon items?" Asked Ezra as they traversed through the halls.

"I study their effects, and I hope to use my research to engineer better dungeon items! Right now, I'm studying X-Eye Seeds, which, when eaten, make the victim unable to determine friend from foe. I hope to create an X-Eye Seed whose effects are drastically lengthened." Sandshrew explained.

"Wow, that's amazing! Hey, isn't that the Stairs?" Asked Carys.

**2F**

They had found the Stairs, but it was being guarded by two Cacnea and a Maractus.

"I'm weak to grass-types!" Squeaked Sandshrew in fear, hiding behind Ezra.

"Luckily I'm not! Ember!" Declared Ezra, sending the embers onto Maractus. It fainted.

"And I'm resistant to them! Confuse Ray on one Cacnea, and Astonish on the other!" Sang Carys.

"Follow it up with my own Astonish on the non-confused Cacnea!" Joined Ezra, laughing, as they took down a Cacnea together. Carys finished the last one with a Razor Leaf.

"Wow, you two have excellent teamwork." Marveled Sandshrew.

**3F**

"I love it when we spawn in the same room as Stairs," Giggled Carys.

**4F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Whew! The sun's coming down harshly!" Exclaimed Carys.

"That's good for me, since I'm a fire-type." Smiled Ezra.

"I don't particularly mind the sun myself. I'm suited for sunny environments." Chimed Sandshrew.

"So, we're on the fourth floor. What do X-Eye Seeds look like?" Ezra asked.

"They're large and golden, with an 'X' marked on both sides." Described Sandshrew.

"Hmm…Here's a Heal Seed, but it's not what we want…" Trailed Carys.

They searched the entire floor, but couldn't find the X-Eye Seed.

"Are you sure it's here?" Asked Ezra.

"Yes, positively! I—eeeeek, Cacnea!" Screamed Sandshrew.

"Sigh….Ember." Ezra roller her eyes, defeating the Cacnea with ease. She noticed something.

"Hey…It dropped something!" She said, picking it up. It was large and golden, with an 'X' on both sides.

"We found it! Here you go, Sandshrew!" Ezra exclaimed, giving it to him.

"Ohh, thank you two so much! If you could use your badge to beam me out, I'll meet you back in Lily Town," Said Sandshrew, grateful.

"Okay, uh…how do we do this?" Asked Ezra, pulling out her badge.

"Hold it out towards me," Sandshrew suggested.

Ezra did, and to her shock, a large white beam shone from the top of the dungeon, encasing Sandshrew in its light. When it dissipated, he was gone.

"Whoa. Uh…our turn, I guess. Hope this works!" Ezra cringed, turning the front of her badge towards herself. Carys was doing the same.

Suddenly, all was white, and then she found herself outside Parched Plains. Carys was next to her.

"That was cool." The Pumpkaboo said, awed.

**Lily Town**

"Thanks again for finding the X-Eye Seed! Here's your reward, as promised." Sandshrew said, giving them the items before departing.

"That was fun! Doing good makes me feel good!" Beamed Carys. Ezra agreed.

"Dinner's ready!" Shouted Franziska.

"And it also makes me hungry!" Carys added.

"You know, you two should take the Mysterious Shard and show it to Sora. He might know what it is." Ranna suggested after dinner, when everyone was playing cards together.

"That's a good idea! As soon as I beat Mark, we'll do that." Said Carys.

"You wish." Mark said.

An exploration team called Team Triple S had arrived during Team Banshee's mission. Their leader, an Abra named Marcus, was the brains (Smarts) of the three while Luxio Sam was muscle (Strength), and Will the Treecko the speedy one (Speed). They were an awe-inspiring Diamond-rank team that loved to travel.

"Well, Carys, I hate to disappoint you, but I have a Dragon-type Straight. It seems I win." Mark said smugly, setting down his cards. Everyone groaned as they began to put their own cards away.

"Pfft, is that it? Well, _I_ have a Creation Royale. That trumps every other combo. I win." Carys returned, equally as smug.

"_Whaaat?!" _Mark roared, flinging his cards down.

"No one ever beats Mark!" Laughed Sam.

"I just did. Now, if you will excuse me, Ezzie and I have a Reuniclus to see. Ta~" Carys said as she went to get the Mysterious Shard from their room.

Since the Shard was so big, it took both Carys and Ezra to carry it over to Sora's Library.

"Hey! Sora! You here?" Called Carys as they set the Shard down gently.

"Yes? What is it, Carys?" Asked Sora, coming over to greet them. Ezra gestured to the Shard.

"We found this thing yesterday. Do you know what it is?" She asked.

Sora used his Psychic to pick the Shard up and inspect it from all angles.

"This…this is impossible." He said in disbelief.

"What's wrong?" Asked Carys.

"I have no idea what this is! This is an absolute first for me! I don't know how to feel about this." Sora exclaimed.

"Ooh, he used exclamation marks for the first time ever! This must be serious!" Whistled Carys.

"Breaking the fourth wall's against the rules, Carys." Ezra glared.

"Sorry."

"I'll have to go through all my books again to see if anything like this relic is mentioned. This will take me some time. Do you mind if I keep it? I will not let anyone purloin it." Inquired Sora.

"I don't see why not. Oh! By the way, how's Torchic?" Asked Ezra.

"He is fine. I sent Ben out to get me some medicine this morning, but it seems he has not yet returned." Replied Sora.

"Well, he did say he might be back tomorrow. Anyways, I'm exhausted. I'm going to buy candy from Neal and go to bed." Yawned Carys.

"Don't use up all our money!" Begged Ezra.

"I'll only withdraw 100 Poke, Ez. Don't worry; I won't let us go bankrupt." Reassured Carys as she exited the library.

"Thank you for allowing me to examine your relic. I must depart back to Torchic for now, but I will let you know if I find anything. Good night, Ezra." Sora bowed as he floated away.

Ezra sighed and returned to the Lofts, where she asked Team Triple S to teach her how to play card games.

**Thanks to Nerdicarp for Team Triple S!  
**

**The next chapter will contain: Unease, a cry for help, and a seemingly rogue legendary.**


	9. Chapter 9

The next day, after breakfast, Carys and Ezra went to check up on Torchic in Sora's Library.The poor Pokemon was resting on some cushions near the back, his broken leg propped up on yet another cushion. He brightened when he saw the two.

"Hey! Ezra and Carys! Hi, how are you?" He greeted.

"We're fine. How are you holding up?" Ezra asked, concerned. Torchic shrugged.

"Eh. I'm okay. My leg hurts really badly, but Sora's been giving me herbs to help with the pain. He's been real kind to me. That reminds me; I never got the chance to properly thank you two for rescuing me. If you hadn't shown up…ugh, I don't even want to think about it! Do you know when Ben's coming back? He said it wouldn't take him long, but he hasn't returned." Remarked Torchic.

"That's strange. We met Ben coming out of town yesterday. He said he'd be back by tonight at the latest. He might just be sightseeing or something." Shrugged Carys.

"It's not like him to dally. I'll feel much better when he gets back." Frowned Torchic.

"I'm sure it's nothing, but we'll let you know if we see him." Promised Ezra.

"Thanks."

"Who is there? Oh, greetings Ezra and Carys. It is a pleasure to see you again." Spoke Sora as he came down from the second floor.

"Hi Sora! How goes your study project?" Asked Carys.

"I'm only 1/456 or 0.0021929825% through my extensive collection of literature. Suffice to say, it will be some days yet." Sora said wryly.

"Oh…okay. Well, we appreciate you taking the time out of your schedule to do us a gigantic favor." Said Ezra.

"It is my utmost pleasure, Miss Ezra. I have not come across a relic I do not comprehend for the longest time. This is a worthy challenge for someone of my expertise. An unknown relic and a human trapped in our realm…It cannot be a coincidence." Sora said eloquently.

"Hey! Team Banshee! Sora! You guys should come to the Square! There's a legendary here!" yelled Lafea, bursting through the door.

"We already have a legendary living with us, and her name is Meloetta." Remarked a confused Sora.

"No, no! A Shaymin in Sky Form!" Lafea corrected.

"A Shaymin in Lily Town? I must see this." Sora spoke as he rushed outside to see.

"Let's go too!" Suggested Carys as Team Banshee raced outside.

In the middle of the Town Square was a white and green Pokemon with a red bow on its neck. It looked injured, and was sobbing.

"What's going on?" Asked Ezra.

"Here's an exploration team, Shaymin. They'll help you." Neal was comforting the weeping legendary.

"They will?" It sniffed.

"Yeah! My name's Carys the Pumpkaboo, and this is Ezra the Shiny Litwick. We're Team Banshee. What's wrong?" Carys asked gently.

"My….My home's being attacked! My friends are in terrible danger!" Shaymin cried.

"What?! Who's attacking your home?" Demanded Carys. This only made Shaymin sob further.

"We…we were such good friends…Why is she attacking…?" Shaymin whispered.

"What's going on? I heard a Shaymin was in town." Asked Meloetta, coming up to stand beside Team Banshee.

"Meloetta! It's awful! Gratitude Valley is being ransacked! The other Shaymin are in grave danger!" Wailed Shaymin, embracing Meloetta.

"It's okay…Can you tell us what's going on?" Meloetta asked gently.

"It was just another ordinary day. We were playing, and then…and then…_She_ came over, and we thought she was just coming over to play, but…but then she starting attacking us, and destroying our home! I managed to escape, and I flew here in Sky Form as fast as I could." Sniffed Shaymin.

"Who's attacking you?" Asked Ezra.

"Celebi." Whispered Shaymin.

"_Celebi?!_ But she and you Shaymin are friends! Why is Celebi attacking you?" Demanded Meloetta.

"I don't know! This is all so horrible…"Shaymin sniffed.

"Who's Celebi?" Asked Ezra.

"Celebi is a legendary Pokemon who possesses the ability to travel through time. She's normally very docile and kind. I've no idea why she's attacking the Shaymin, who are her best friends. Me and my team will leave right away!" Said Meloetta, the latter to Shaymin.

"NO! Don't leave me! I don't want you and Celebi to fight, Meloetta! And I don't know if I was followed or not. You have to protect me!" Protested Shaymin.

"The other Pokemon here will protect you just fine." Reassured Meloetta.

"I don't know any of these Pokemon! One of them could be a spy for Celebi! No, it's better if you stay and Team Banshee go." Said Shaymin. Meloetta sighed.

"Very well. Ezra and Carys, let me show you where Gratitude Valley—where the Shaymin live—is on your map." She said. Ezra gave her the map.

"The dungeon is just beyond Gleaming Woods. The Shaymin live at the end of the dungeon. You'll probably have to fight Celebi. She's very powerful, but she's also weak to ghost- and fire-type moves, so at least you'll have an advantage. Don't underestimate her, and don't let her get away with harassing the Shaymin." Warned Meloetta.

"On it! We're off! Don't worry, Shaymin, we'll teach Celebi a lesson!" Cheered Carys.

**Gratitude Valley**

The entrance to the dungeon was green and filled with colorful flowers.

"Wow! It's so pretty here! I can totally see Shaymin living here!" Marveled Carys.

"Don't forget we're here for a reason." Remarked Ezra.

"Never! Let's go!" Grinned Carys.

**B1F**

"Oooh! So many pretty flowers! Hey, Ezra, if I pick some for Franzy do you think she'll finally feed me candy?" Asked Carys, sniffing some flowers.

Ezra tried to imagine the scenario, but failed.

"I think if you did that she'd Razor Shell you into oblivion." Ezra said wryly as they got going.

"You really think so?" Asked Carys.

"I _know_ so."

**B2F**

"Aww, a Togetic! How cute!" Gushed Carys as the white Pokemon flew up to them and used Metronome, which turned out to be Crunch.

"OWW! A very _mean_ cute Togetic! Confuse Ray!" Stormed Carys.

"Follow it with Ember!" Chimed Ezra, defeating the Togetic.

"Hmph. That Crunch really hurt! It hurt my feelings." Pouted Carys.

"Have this Purple Gummi that I just found in consolation." Said Ezra, tossing it to Carys, who swallowed it whole.

"I love these things. They taste exactly like candy!" She exclaimed happily.

"There are so many different types of candy, it's impossible to narrow the taste down to just one." Argued Ezra.

"The taste changes with each one I eat. Some taste like chocolate, some taste like licorice, and some taste like cherry lollipops! The one I just ate tasted like cotton candy." Explained Carys.

"Really? Wow. That's actually kinda neat."

**B3F**

"Why do you think they call this place 'Gratitude Valley'?" Asked Ezra.

"Well, Shaymin's the Gratitude Pokemon, and a bunch live here, so…" Trailed Carys in a shrug.

"So wait, Meloetta's the music legendary, Celebi the time travel legendary, and Shaymin's the gratitude legendary…?" Asked Ezra, confused.

"Yep!"

"Out of all things, _gratitude_?"

"I don't make the rules, Ezzie."

"This makes as much sense as Blue Gummis tasting like watermelons."

"Are we really having this conversation again?"

"_Watermelon?"_

"Sigh…"

**B4F**

"Carys! Hand me an Oran Berry! I can't go on much longer!" Ezra winced, taking heavy blows from a Swablu.

"Hang on just one second, Ez! I'm preoccupied myself!" Called Carys, who was busy dealing with a Sunflora.

Another Wing Attack pummeled Ezra.

_No! I can't faint again! Argh, there must be something I can do!_ She thought in frustration.

She felt fire gather in her flame, growing bigger and bigger. She released the energy, and was astounded to see a huge ball of fire defeat the Swablu.

"Wow! Was that…Flame Burst?" She exclaimed, surprised.

"I'd say so." Said Carys, who had just finished her own fight. She and Ezra each ate an Oran Berry.

"Sweet." Smiled Ezra, proud of her new ability.

**B5F**

"Whee, Stairs!" Sang Carys as they spawned.

**B6F**

"More Stairs!" She laughed.

**B7F**

"Where do you think Ben is?" Asked Carys.

"He's probably back in Lily Town by now." Shrugged Ezra.

"What if he's not?" Frowned Carys.

"Don't say that! Of course's he's back in town by now! He has to be." Said Ezra.

"Yeah. You're right. Sorry. I think I'm just nervous about what's happening at the end of this dungeon." Carys said sheepishly.

"I've never fought a legendary before. I wonder if it's possible for us to beat a legendary." Wondered Ezra.

"I guess we'll find out soon." Carys said in a small voice.

**B8F**

"We've gotta be getting close. I hope the Shaymin are okay. Why do you think Celebi's attacking them?" Asked Carys.

"I don't know, but I plan on getting to the bottom of this." Ezra said vehemently.

"Right." Nodded Carys.

**B9F**

"Flame Burst!" Yelled Ezra, attacking a Sunflora who surprisingly didn't faint.

It Tackled her, but something strange happened. Her flame caught the Sunflora's arm, which immediately burned. _Then_ it fainted.

"That was weird." She frowned.

"What was?" Asked Carys, coming over from the corner, where she was gathering Gravelrocks.

"My flame burned that Sunflora, but I didn't use an attack." Said Ezra.

"That was probably Flame Body, one of your Abilities. Sometimes when an enemy attacks you, they get burned." Carys explained.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot Pokemon had Abilities. So mine's Flame Body?" Ezra asked.

"Yep, and Flash Fire, meaning whenever you get hit by a fire-type attack, your fire-type moves get strengthened. Mine are Pickup—meaning I pick up random items without notice—and Frisk, which lets me steal an enemy's held item." Carys explained.

"So I get stronger and you take items?"

"Pretty much."

"Sweet."

**B10F**

"Stairs in the spawn room? Yes please." Snickered Carys.

**Gratitude Valley Village**

"Hey, we made it!" Exclaimed Ezra.

The village they had stumbled upon was in shambles. The cottages were destroyed, and the ground was torn to shreds.

"Listen, there are cries coming from up ahead!" Said Carys. Sure enough, faint shouts were coming from the village proper.

"Celebi must be up ahead. Come on, we've got to save the village!" Said Ezra as they ran towards the cries.

Small green Pokemon were being terrorized by a floating green Pokemon. The land-bound Pokemon were green with pink flowers on their heads, and their aggressor was small and green with wings. This must be Celebi.

"Celebi!" Called Carys. The floating Pokemon whipped around to face them.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" It snarled.

"We've come to stop you from terrorizing these Shaymin! They're your friends, Celebi! Why are you attacking them?" Demanded Ezra.

"'Friends'? Hah! These weak Pokemon are not my friends. I take it you two are an exploration team. Well, this is the end for you! Prepare to meet your doom!" Celebi declared.

**Boss battle!**

"How many Reviver Seeds do we have?" Whispered Ezra to Carys.

"Two." She whispered back.

"Magical Leaf!" Shouted Celebi, sending the leaves towards them.

"No you don't! Counter with Ember!" Retorted Ezra. The embers disintegrated the Magical Leaves.

"Then Flame Burst!" She followed up.

"Ah!" Shouted Celebi. "Not bad. But taste my Future Sight!" She said, glowing blue for a second.

"An attack's going to come in a little bit! Be careful!" Squeaked Carys to Ezra as the former sent out a Confuse Ray, confusing Celebi.

"Now's our chance, Ezzie! I'mma use my Astonish!" Shouted Carys.

"And I'm going to use Hex!" Declared Ezra as the two attacked together. Celebi snapped out of her confusion.

"You're going to pay for that! Leaf Storm!" She snarled, sending a mass of leaves onto the two.

"Owowowow! That hurt!" Pouted Carys.

Suddenly, a large white beam struck Ezra, blacking her out. Then, all was white, and she found herself revitalized.

"Future Sight got me?" She asked grimly to Carys, who nodded.

"Tch! Exploration teams and their love of Reviver Seeds…no matter, I'll defeat you eventually! Have another Future Sight!" Celebi grinned wickedly as she glowed blue again.

"We can't keep falling to her Future Sight attacks…I got it! I'll confuse her again, and then we'll go all out." Said Carys to Ezra, who nodded in anticipation.

"Confuse Ray!" Said Carys.

"Flame Burst!" Added Ezra.

"Follow up with Astonish!" Shouted Carys.

"Then Hex!"

"Then Shadow Sneak! Wait, what?" Frowned Carys as her shadow extended and struck Celebi.

"I learned a new move! Yay!" She beamed.

"Good…for you…" Celebi said, rising slowly. They all had been taking heavy hits.

Suddenly, Future Sight struck Carys, knocking her out before being revived.

"Argh! Last one we had." Carys winced.

"What was that? 'Last one'? Perfect! I know just how to end this!" Celebi smiled smugly.

"Uh oh." Said Ezra.

"Perish Song!" Said Celebi, singing a cacophonous song that drained the life from Ezra and Carys.

"No! If she keeps that up, we'll lose for sure!" Wailed Carys, paralyzed by the sinister song.

But Celebi was affected by the song as well. She kept it up as long as she could, but just when Team Banshee was about to black out, Celebi collapsed, and the spell was broken.

"We…we did it." Said Carys, astonished.

"We actually defeated a legendary." Ezra added, equally awed.

"Don't think you've won yet." Celebi gritted her teeth, getting back up.

"You may have won this battle, but the war's just getting started." She said.

"What do you mean?" Asked Ezra.

"I'm tired of this boring, peaceful life. I'm tired of being denied the glory I deserve as a legendary Pokemon. It's time for peace to subside and darkness to reign! With the power of the dark, I will be worshipped as I rightfully deserve! War is coming, little ghost-types. And when it arrives, you two will be swept up in the miasma that it evil. Farewell!" She cried, fleeing the dungeon.

"Hey! Get back here!" Screamed Carys.

"Where do you think she's gone?" Asked Ezra.

"Probably back to Lush Highland, where she lives." Said a small voice. Ezra turned to see one of the small green Pokemon from before walking up to them.

"Thank you so much for saving us. We're eternally grateful." It said, bowing.

"We couldn't just stand by and watch Celebi hurt you guys. Are you all right?" Carys asked.

"Yes, I think so. We're Shaymin, in Land Form. We should be alright, now that Celebi's gone." The Shaymin said.

"Why did Celebi attack you guys?" Asked Ezra.

"We don't know. She often comes to play with us, but lately she's been acting…different. She probably won't come back here, now that she knows you two will stop her if she tries it again." Said Shaymin.

"You said she lives at a place called Lush Highland?" Carys asked grimly.

"Yes. Don't chase her today; you two are all beat up from her assault. At least wait until tomorrow, when you two are back to full strength, and when Celebi thinks she's safe." Protested Shaymin.

"As much as I would love to chase Celebi down, Shaymin has a point. We'll alert someone to come help you guys rebuild your village, and make sure Celebi doesn't come back." Promised Carys.

**Lily Town**

"So Celebi's gone rogue, huh?" Meloetta said grimly after they had returned.

Shaymin had left back for her village shortly after they got back. Team Siren had gotten the Hooded Brotherhood to guard the Shaymin village, in case Celebi decided to come back.

"It seems so. She said war was coming, or something like that. Do you know what it means?" Asked Ezra.

"I don't, and that's what worries me. I know I'm out of the loop, since I'm part of an exploration team now, but it's just unlike Celebi to turn so…evil. Anyway, you two are going to Lush Highland to bring her to justice tomorrow?" Asked Meloetta.

"Yep, and this time we're bringing more than two Reviver Seeds." Carys said.

"Well, I wish you luck. Oh, by the way, have you heard any word of Ben? He still hasn't returned." Frowned Meloetta.

"He hasn't?! That's not good. After we take care of Celebi, we'll go out searching for him if he's still not back." Fretted Ezra.

"That's not a bad idea. In fact, me and my team will search the area for news of him tomorrow." Meloetta said.

"Awesome. Well, we'd better get ourselves ready for tomorrow, when we go to Lush Highland. We'll see you in at dinner, Meloetta." Frowned Carys.

"See you then." Said Meloetta as she departed.

"I'm really worried about Ben." Carys said to Ezra.

"Me too. I really hope he's okay."

**The next chapter shall contain: A highland, a boss battle, and an MIA friend.**


	10. Chapter 10

"You about ready?" Asked Ezra the next day as she and Carys prepared to depart for Lush Highland.

"We have dungeon essentials, lots of Reviver Seeds, and some money left over. I'd say yes." Replied Carys.

"You guys heading out to bring Celebi to justice?" Asked Ranna, the rest of her team heading towards them.

"Yep." Ezra nodded gravely.

"Good luck. We're heading out to search for the missing Ben." Said Dyrim.

"I really hope you find him. He should've been back days ago." Fretted Carys.

"Don't worry. Once Team Siren sets their sights on something, they don't stop until they find it! There's a Zoroark that owes me a favor. I'll get him to help us as well." Reassured Meloetta.

"Safe travels, you three. Well, Ez, shall we depart?" Asked Carys.

"Yeah."

**Lush Highlands**

The area was nothing but a thick forest, with mountains in the distance. Fog was everywhere, thanks to the high altitude.

"Wow! The view is stunning!" Marveled Carys, looking at the tall peaks that were poking the sky.

"It is. I'm not surprised that Celebi lives here, considering she's the forest guardian." Remarked Ezra, who had spent the previous night reading up on the wayward legendary.

"Forest guardian or not, she needs to pay for her crimes!" Frowned Carys as they entered.

**1F**

"Okay, who wants to get beaten today?" Asked Carys, looking around. The chamber was empty.

"Yay! I love it when no one comes to fight us!" Trilled Carys, doing a backflip. A rogue Razor Leaf cut the backflip short as a Gogoat trotted into view.

"You just _had_ to jinx it." Sighed Ezra as she took the Gogoat down.

"Sorry." Carys said meekly as they got going.

**2F**

"Cheri Berry! Will take!" Sang Carys.

"Here's an Orb. I don't know what this one does." Called Ezra, looking at a white Orb.

"Break it and see!" Said Carys.

Ezra did. Suddenly, she got a picture of a map in her mind. There was a white dot next to a yellow dot in a large room, with red dots scattered about the map. There were immobile blue circles also scattered amongst the floor. A blue square was in the room above the one the yellow and white dot were in. Ezra took a step, and the white dot in her mind did the same. Carys came over, and the yellow dot moved next to the white dot.

"Whoa…that Orb gives you the location of _everything_ on the floor! I can see the locations of us, enemies, items, and the Stairs!" Ezra gasped in amazement.

"_Seriously?! _That is wicked awesome! That must be a Luminous Orb that you activated. So where are the Stairs?" Asked an astounded Carys.

"In the next room, if I'm not mistaken." Replied Ezra.

She was not.

**3F**

"Hex!" Shouted Ezra, attacking a Graveler. It dodged and used Rock Throw on her, which was super effective.

"Owww! Carys! Switch with me!" She wailed in pain.

"On it! Taste my Razor Leaf!" Smirked Carys as she punished the offending Graveler.

"Ugh, that hurt…How many Oran Berries do we have?" Ezra winced.

"We should have two. Lemme check….Wait, there's three? When did we—oh, right, I have Pickup. I didn't even notice putting in it there. Huh. Anyways, you want one?" Carys offered.

"Hmm…Nah, I'll tough it out. We might need them later. If we find another one I'll take it, though." Ezra shook her head.

"Suit yourself." Carys shrugged.

**4F**

"Royal Gummi! Ez, would you like to taste-test it, or shall I?" Carys squealed, bringing the royal blue Gummi over.

"Royal Gummis are for dragon-types, right? And I'm not that hungry; you can have it." Said Ezra.

"Yeah, they are. Well, here I go!" Said Carys, swallowing the Gummi whole.

"…Dragon fruit." She said after a minute.

"What?! It'd make more sense if it tasted like ghost peppers—hey, wait, why don't Purple Gummis taste like ghost peppers, then?—or some other spicy food, but _dragon fruit?! _It's the whole Blue Gummi/watermelon thing all over again!" Ranted Ezra.

"Ez. Enough about Blue Gummis. Just accept it and move on." Sighed Carys.

"Me accepting that Blue Gummis tasting like watermelon makes sense is like you hating candy." Retorted Ezra.

"BLASPHEMY!"Screamed Carys.

"EXACTLY!" Ezra shouted back.

**5F**

"I'm bored. Are we at the top yet?" Said Carys.

"Don't tell me you're bored of exploring unknown dungeons!" Exclaimed Ezra.

"I'm not; it's just that this floor is a labyrinth of multiple hallways and multiple rooms, with few Pokemon to keep us busy." Carys explained.

"Well, here's an enemy Linoone. Have at it." Pointed Ezra.

"Yay! Confuse Ray! Then Razor Leaf!" Carys said happily.

**6F**

**Weather Condition: Fog**

"Waah! It's so foggy here, I can't see a thing!" Exclaimed Carys, surpised.

"What does fog do?" Asked Ezra.

"Umm…It weakens electric-type moves, so we're good." Said Carys.

"There's the Stairs! That was easy." Remarked Carys.

**7F**

"Ezra! Look in the bag and see if there's anything that can help me!" Wailed Carys, who had been taking heavy blows from an Absol.

"Uh…Hey! Your Pickup Ability gave us another Orb! This one's red with purple polka-dots." Reported Ezra.

"I don't care if it has rainbows and glitter on it; just hurry up and break it!" Shouted Carys, narrowly dodging a knockout blow.

Ezra threw it at the Absol, hoping whatever was inside would be useful. Suddenly, the Absol stood rigid, unable to move.

"Ooh, a Petrify Orb. Nice. Alright, now that I can actually get a move in, Confuse Ray!" Said Carys.

"And a Gravelrock!" Added Ezra, tossing the stone at the Absol. The Gravelrock hit the Absol's head with a _thunk_, and it promptly collapsed.

"Bit of an anti-climactic finish, but hey, who cares? Thanks, Ez!" Beamed Carys.

**8F**

"Stairs alert." Said Ezra.

**9F**

"Another Stairs alert." She said, surpised.

"Why can't all floors be like this one?" Carys sighed happily.

**10F**

**Weather Condition: Fog**

"Do you think we'll have to explore a dungeon with 99 floors one day?" Asked Carys.

"Those exist?!" Ezra asked, horrified.

"Oh yeah. Luckily the maximum number of floors a dungeon can have is 99." Said Carys.

"_Only_ 99." Ezra rolled her eyes.

"Well, which would you rather have? A dungeon with 99 floors, or a dungeon with over nine million floors?" Carys asked.

"…Good point. Still, I hope that day doesn't come for a long time, if ever. I—"

"Stairs." Carys interrupted.

**11F**

**Weather Condition: Fog**

"As I was saying, I am definitely not ready to explore 99 floors at once. Is that even possible?" Continued Ezra.

"Oh yeah. I think Team Siren's done it before a few times. Maybe the Hooded Brotherhood. That's all I know." Shrugged Carys.

"Wow. That's amazing." Whistled Ezra.

"Isn't it?"

**12F**

**Weather Condition: Fog**

"I'm getting hungry, are you?" Asked Carys.

"Yeah. Open up the bag and let's get some apples." Suggested Ezra.

"An apple for you, and one for me." Said Carys, giving the fruit to Ezra.

"Look out!" Ezra shouted as a Linoone came to Quick Attack Carys.

"Huh? Ouch! How dare you interrupt our meal! Just for that, you get an extra-special Razor Leaf from me!" Stormed Carys, pummeling the Linoone in no time flat.

"Hmph. Now. Where were we?" She sniffed, going back to eating the apple.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." Ezra said.

"Nonsense! I never get mad at you, Ezzie. And even if I do, I'll never hurt you. Count on it." Carys said sincerely.

Ezra felt a huge grin on her face.

They hugged each other tightly, then moved on.

**13F**

"I'm ready to beat Celebi again. This time, we won't let her use Perish Song." Carys said confidently.

"We beat her once, we can do it again." Ezra agreed.

"Excuse me, Mr. Graveler, but no one invited you to our pep party. Take this Shadow Sneak and escort yourself from the premises, if you will." Said Carys, defeating a Graveler.

"We'll bring Celebi back to Lily Town with us, where the Hooded Brotherhood will be waiting to take her in." Said Ezra.

The HB had come back to town during the night after they gave the Shaymin village the all-clear. They would be escorting Celebi to prison.

Ezra took a deep breath, preparing herself for the fight that was to come.

**Lush Highland Summit**

"Well, we're here." Said Carys, looking around at the dense forest and radiant flora. A giant oak tree was in front of them.

"Where's Celebi?" Asked Ezra, looking around.

"Heh heh….So, you two are the twerps who knocked out Celebi?" A voice came from seemingly nowhere.

"Someone's here! Who are you? Show yourself!" Demanded Carys.

"As you wish, my dear." Said the voice.

The oak's treetop rustled, and a red Pokemon jumped down. It had red pincers and gray wings.

"My name is Scizor, and I will be your executioner today." He said.

"Where's Celebi?" Demanded Ezra.

"Celebi? She left long before you two ever got here. She's not so dumb as to just hide in her own home. No, she's long gone. And before you ask, I made sure not to learn where she was going. So even if you manage to beat me, you'll never get her location from me. Now then, shall we begin?" He asked.

"Argh! There's gotta be a clue somewhere around here. We just gotta beat Scizor first!" Frowned Carys.

"Yeah. Let's go!" Shouted Ezra, charging into battle.

**Boss Battle!**

**Weather Condition: Fog**

"We have another Petrify Orb! Let's use that!" Suggested Carys, tossing the Orb at Scizor. It broke, but nothing happened.

"What the…?" She trailed. Scizor laughed.

"Orbs don't work during boss battles, little ones. Nice try, though. Night Slash!" He said, darting to Carys and slashing her with his pincers.

"Ahh! He's so fast!" She yowled.

"Oh yeah? Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra. Scizor used his Quick Attack to dodge.

"X-Scissor!" He said, cutting Ezra cruelly.

"Argh! We have to find a way to stop him! Hmm…" Ezra thought.

She looked in the bag and found a Stun Seed.

"Time for a Blast Seed!" She said, making as if to eat it.

"No you don't! Quick Attack!" Shouted Scizor, knocking her away and eating the Seed himself. He instantly became paralyzed.

"Hey…You tricked me!" He shouted, immobile.

"Now's our chance! Flame Burst!" Said Ezra.

"And Confuse Ray, to keep him busy when the Seed wears off!" Stormed Carys.

"Hex!"

"Shadow Sneak!"

"Ember!"

"Razor Leaf!" But this one missed, as Scizor was freed from the status effects. He nimbly dodged the attack.

"Night Slash!" He shouted, knocking Carys out.

"Ahh!" She shrieked before being revived.

"I have an idea, but one of us will have to take another hit." Ezra said to Carys.

"If it'll stop him, then I'm all for it." Nodded Carys.

"I'll get his attention, and then when he's busy with me, you Confuse Ray him again. He's running a lot slower; I think if we snare him one more time we'll win." Ezra explained.

"Got it." Said Carys.

"Astonish!" Shouted Ezra, running to Scizor, who dodged easily.

"Hah! Have an X-Scissor for your troubles, little Litwick." He said, attacking.

Ezra tanked the blows as Carys snuck up behind him.

"Confuse Ray!" She shouted.

"What? Aw, no…" Scizor said before wandering around in circles.

"Flame Burst!"

"Shadow Sneak!"

"And to top it all off, Hex and Razor Leaf!" Screamed Ezra as the two combined their attacks. Scizor stood no chance.

"Ugh….You two…are strong. I can see why Celebi fled, rather than stay and fight…But it doesn't matter, as I don't know where she went. So, even though you won, you also lost." Scizor said through clenched teeth.

"Is that so?" Said a voice from behind. They all turned to see the Hooded Brotherhood, and a blue figure.

"We got worried, so we all came here to give you assistance, but it seems you don't need it." Said Sips.

"So Celebi fled, seemingly without a trace, huh? Well, we'll see if that's true." Sky winked at Carys and Ezra.

"Are you two okay?" Asked Cave. They nodded.

The blue figure stood forward, and took off his blue hood. He had blue bandages all over his body.

"…My name is Blue Hood the Lucario. I am the leader of the Hooded Brotherhood. No criminal escapes me." He said tonelessly.

"Oh my Arceus! _You're _the famous Blue Hood?!" Carys shrieked with delight.

"Yup." Sips nodded.

"Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygossshhhhh!" She exclaimed.

"Thank you for taking things from here, Mr. Blue Hood. I'm Ezra, and the fangirling Pumpkaboo is my partner, Carys." Introduced Ezra, shaking Blue Hood's hand.

"A pleasure. After we are done with our investigation and taking Scizor into custody, we will return to aid you with your search for the missing Shiny Riolu." Blue Hood said.

"We look forward to it. Come on, Carys. Let's see if Team Siren found Ben yet." Ezra had to drag Carys away from the legendary team.

"Hey…What's this" Asked Sips.

He was holding what appeared to be…

"A Mysterious Shard!" Gasped Ezra. Team Banshee ran over to it.

"Yes, it's definitely one of these. Where did you find it?" Demanded Carys.

"It was just sitting here, lying against the tree trunk. Do you two know what it is?" Sips asked.

"Not really, but we have one exactly like it back in Lily Town. Can we bring it back with us, please?" Begged Ezra.

"It's no use to us, so sure." Sips shrugged, handing it over.

This time, when Ezra touched it, visions of forests and flowers filled her mind.

_**Ah! Another one! Yes, bring it back with you, Ezra.**_ Voice exclaimed.

"Thank you so much." Ezra said to Sips.

_**Two down…but many remain.** _Sighed Voice.

_There are more?_

_**18 total, but only three are missing at this time. You have found two of the missing three. I've no idea where the third is.**_

**Lily Town**

"So, no word of him?" Ezra said to Team Siren over a cup of hot chocolate.

"No. We looked and we looked, but there's no sign of him. We spoke to hundreds of Pokemon, but none of their stories match. It's the first time Team Siren has failed to find what they were looking for." Meloetta drooped sadly.

"Let's see…He said that he was heading to a place called Jungle Thicket to look for medicine." Recalled Ezra.

"We haven't looked there. It's rather late, so in the morning all of us will scour Jungle Thicket for him." Declared Dyrim.

"In the morning?! But Ben could be injured!" Objected Carys.

"Some dungeons can't be traversed through during nighttime, Carys. They close inexplicably until morning. Jungle Thicket is one of those dungeons, so even if we wanted to explore there, we can't." Ranna said unhappily.

"Argh! This is so frustrating! Something very bad has happened to Ben. There's no way he's okay by this time." Carys said, tears welling up. Ezra felt tears of her own well up in her eye.

"We'll find him, Carys. We'll have Team Siren, the HB, and Team Valkyrie with us. Between us all, there's no way he'll escape us." Ezra comforted her friend.

"Yeah. Yeah. I have to go on believing that we'll find him. In the meantime, what do we do about our second Mysterious Shard?" Sniffed Carys.

"I guess we just hang on to them until we find an answer." Shrugged Ezra.

"You two found another Shard?" Asked Meloetta.

"Yeah, Celebi had one at her place. This one gives visions of flora." Nodded Ezra. Meloetta frowned.

"So you have a Grass Shard and a Water Shard? I feel like I should know what this means, but I don't." She said, rubbing her temples.

"I'm too tired to think properly. I'm going to bed. Tomorrow, we _all_ search for Ben in Jungle Thicket." Meloetta said.

**The next chapter will contain:? (I'm not spoiling anything :3)**


	11. Chapter 11

"Alright, exploration teams. Today, our primary objective is to find Ben. According to Carys and Ezra, he was heading to Jungle Thicket, so that's where we'll search." Meloetta was saying after breakfast.

Teams Geo, Valkyrie, Banshee, Hooded Brotherhood (minus Blue Hood, who didn't want to reveal himself in front of so many Pokemon), and Siren were seated in a circle in the commons room in Rose's Lofts. An APB was put out for the missing Ben, but with luck it'll be taken down by midnight.

"There's a small village near the dungeon, so we're going to talk to the locals there first, in case one of them saw something." Said Cave.

"An excellent plan." Seadra nodded.

"Meanwhile, we're going to search the surrounding dungeons, in case he somehow wound up somewhere else." Added Noibat.

"We'll help too. That way, we can get done quicker." Offered Ranna.

"That would be wonderful." Macargo nodded gratefully.

"So that leaves us and Team Banshee to explore the Jungle Thicket." Said Chrysi.

"We'll come join you guys once we're done; either to give you an update or to help find Ben." Sky said to Chrysi and Ezra's teams.

"Let us take an hour to prepare for the expedition, then we will reconvene at the edge of town." Said Macargo.

"Oh, we're already ready," said Carys. "We made sure to prepare last night so we could leave as soon as possible."

"Yeah, we did the same thing." Chimed Trina.

"In that case, you five go on ahead. We'll catch up with you later." Said Sips.

"Good luck, everyone. I really hope you find poor Ben. Also, Team Banshee, the Exploration Federation has sent a message saying that to commend you for your saving of Gratitude Valley, they're increasing your maximum storage space. You can now store up to 128 items with Kangaskhan." Said Rose, standing nearby.

"Sweet! Tell them we said thanks." Said Ezra as Teams Banshee and Valkyrie departed.

**Jungle Thicket**

"Wowww! Everything is overgrown! And it's so humid here!" Marveled Carys.

"A lot of rare plants and Pokemon can be found here. Ben said he was looking for medicine, right? Well, this'd be the place to get it." Said Milana.

"Shall we be off?" Suggested Ezra, impatient to move on.

"Yes, yes, of course. Go on ahead." Chrysi gestured to the entrance.

"Alright. See you at the end." Ezra said as she and Carys entered.

**B1F**

"Let's not stay long in this place, Ezra. Normally I'd take it easy, but since we're on a rescue mission, I don't want to waste time." Said Carys.

"Yeah, we need to get to the end ASAP." Ezra agreed.

**B2F**

"Hello Mr. Tropius! Care for a Shadow Sneak?" Carys inquired as she battled a Tropius.

"Hey, Carys, lemme help." Suggested Ezra as she phased into the wall next to Carys.

"I forgot we can do that!" Carys exclaimed.

"Ember!" Ezra said in response, knocking out the foe. She came out of the wall.

"Ooh, my energy drains faster when I'm in the wall!" She shuddered.

"Well, we're stocked up on apples, so feel free to do so." Carys shrugged.

**B3F**

"Carys, so you see that tile in the corner?" Ezra pointed to a black tile with a green arrow in the middle.

"Yeah, I've been seeing them all over the various dungeons we've been to." Carys nodded.

"Me too. Do you know what they are?" Asked Ezra.

"Not a clue! I dare you to step on it." Grinned Carys.

Ezra did. Nothing happened.

"Huh, that's really strange. Once we meet up with Team Valkyrie, let's ask them." Shrugged Carys when Ezra voiced her findings.

**B4F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Ooh, the sun's really bright!" Said Carys, turning away from the sun's harsh glare.

"Well, we _are_ in a jungle. Tropical climates are known to be like this." Said Ezra, in between attacking a Grovyle.

"Still." Carys complained.

"Are you going to help me? This Grovyle refuses to back down."

"On my way. I'll just phase into the wall, and Astonish it—there! It's down."

**B5F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

"Waaah! Rain!" Wailed Ezra, trying in vain to shield her flame.

"Oh hush; a little rain never hurt anybody." Carys dismissed.

"I'm a _candle_, for Arceus' sake! That reminds me, who or what is this Arceus thing?" Asked Ezra, giving up on protecting her flame.

"Arceus is the creator of everything. It created the Creation Trio, the Lake Trio, and this world. Legend says that It lives in a tower high up in the sky, far, far away." Explained Carys.

"Wow, that's amazing! But then who are the Creation and Lake Trios?"

"The Creation Trio are Dialga, master of time; Palkia, master of space; and Giratina, master of dimensions. The Lake Trio are Uxie, Being of Knowledge; Azelf, Being of Willpower; and Mesprit; Being of Emotion." Carys went on.

"So Arceus provided the building blocks for this universe, and the Trios created life as we know it?" Asked Ezra.

"Pretty much. If you want a more detailed explanation, go ask Sora. Or, better yet, Meloetta. She knows the Trios and Arceus."

"She _does?!"_

"Oh yeah, she—STAIRS!"

**B6F**

"Since Meloetta's a legendary, she's privy to opportunities that most Pokemon never have." Said Carys.

"Once we find Ben, I'll definitely ask her." Ezra vowed.

**B7F**

"Stairs are here." Reported Ezra.

**B8F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

"Ugh, why does it have to rain so hard?" Ezra grimaced.

"It's only a light drizzle, Ez." Objected Carys.

"To you, it's a light rain. To me, it's a downpour." Winced Ezra.

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Wait…what just happened?" She asked, looking up at the sky.

"It…just changed spontaneously…" Marveled Carys.

"That can happen?" Wondered Ezra.

"I guess so." Admired Carys.

**B9F**

"Flame Burst!"

"Shadow Sneak!"

The Tangrowth they had been fighting went down.

"Yeah! Teamwork!" Cheered Carys.

**B10F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Hey, Carys? I found an Orb." Ezra called out.

"Oh yeah? Sweet! Do you know what kind it is?" Said Carys from across the chamber, where she was fighting a Grovyle.

"Uh, no. I'm, uh, not quite sure what to think about this one." Said Ezra, picking the Orb up.

"Astonish! Why, what's wrong with it?" Carys said, coming over.

"It's decorated in rainbows and glitter." Ezra said wryly, holding it out.

"It is? Hahahahaha! That is the funniest thing I've seen all day!" Guffawed Carys.

"I'm going to keep it. I don't want to use it just yet." Said Ezra, putting it into the bag.

"Yeah, definitely keep it. We'll get someone to tell us what it is later."

**B11F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

"Stairs being in the same room as us is the best." Sighed Carys happily.

**B12F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"We should be close now. I can feel it." Ezra said.

"Yeah. Then we'll find Ben—or at least a clue to where he is—and then all will be well!" Carys beamed, doing a backflip.

By now, Ezra had gotten used to Carys's body language. Since the Pumpkaboo had a tiny body with no arms, she had found other ways to express her emotions. A quick bob up, then down was a shrug; a backflip meant she was excited or happy; floating close to the ground meant Carys was sad; twitching ruffles, coupled with low floating meant she was mad; and a quick step backwards meant she was either scared or startled.

"Come on, Ez! Race you to the Stairs!" Carys said, running ahead.

"Hey! No fair, you have a head start!"

**B13F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Confuse Ray!" "Then Hex!" They said together as they took down the Heracross guarding the Stairs

**Jungle Ravine**

"We're here!" Carys exclaimed.

"Hello, you two!" Milana greeted, she and her team walking up to them.

"We just got here, so we haven't explored yet." Said Trina.

"Well, come on! Ben might be here!" Exclaimed Carys.

The five looked around, searching for any sign of Ben. There was none.

"Um…guys?" Chrysi called softly.

She knelt down to the ground and picked something up. She held it out. It was a cobalt bow, the exact kind that Ben wore.

"Maybe he's up further ahead?" Suggested Ezra, getting a bad feeling.

"Maybe." From the sound of Carys's voice, she felt it too.

"He's gotta be here somewhere." Said Trina, who was searching the bushes nearby.

"Carys, you and Milana go up into the trees in case he's up one of them." Ezra gestured upwards.

"Why would Ben be in a tree for the past few days?" Asked Carys, confused.

"I've no idea, but I'm not leaving without searching every single part of this place." Shrugged Ezra.

Milana and Carys floated up to the treetops.

"See anything?" Called Trina.

"No, not yet! You guys keep searching down there!" Milana said from above.

A few hours later found the five exhausted and thoroughly worried. They had not found a single trace of Ben.

"What do we do now?" Chrysi asked unhappily.

Ezra opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off.

"Hey! Teams Valkyrie and Banshee!"

The five turned to see Teams Geo, Hooded Brotherhood, and Siren coming up to them.

"What's up? Did you find Ben yet?" Asked Noibat.

"No…" Ezra sighed.

"You're kidding!" Exclaimed Meloetta.

"We wish." Carys drooped.

"Sorry we're so late. We would've been here sooner, but _someone_ wanted to gossip with the locals." Sky glared at Cave.

"What? How else am I supposed to keep up with the times?" Cave objected.

"A newspaper?" Sips rolled his eyes. The three began arguing.

"For the love of..." Ezra barely heard Blue Hood's mutter. "_Enough._" He barked at the three, who instantly became quiet.

"Who are you?" Asked Chrysi.

"I am known as Blue Hood." He introduced.

"Whoa. Really?" Said Trina, stunned. Blue Hood nodded.

"Well, we're Team Valkyrie, and we're going to beat you next time you come to Lily Town!" Chrysi smirked.

"I look forward to it, but for now we have a job to do." Said Blue Hood.

"We searched the entire place, but there's just no sign of him." Milana sighed.

"'No sign'? I will judge that. Team, let us search!" Ordered the Lucario.

"Yeah!" Cheered Sky, Sips, and Cave.

Everyone watched as the four did their own investigation. Presently, the four came back.

"It's clear to us what happened." Began Sips.

"You see this dead flower on the ground? Well, this particular species is known for its medicinal properties. Obviously, this is the flower that Ben was searching for. He came to the end of this dungeon, saw the flower, picked it…" Trailed Cave.

"Then he was ambushed. See the scratches, ripped branches, and burn marks on all the foliage? These are the signs of a struggle. A battle happened here—a few days ago, I'd say—and a very violent one at that. This hole through this tree—" Sky pointed at a tree with part of its trunk missing "—is consistent with a Shadow Ball."

"And these leaves were ripped off in a way that matches the marks left by a Dragon Claw." Sips went on.

"Finally, these blast marks match the scorches left by a Dragon Breath." Concluded Cave.

"How did we miss all that?" Wondered Carys aloud.

"You have to have the right eye for investigation. Also, you have to know what you're looking for. Don't feel too bad; our 25 Riolu trainees wouldn't have noticed it either, and they've been taught all this." Sips patted Carys on the back reassuringly.

"Still." She frowned.

"So, what you're saying is Ben's been…kidnapped?" Ezra could only whisper the word.

Blue Hood and his team were silent for a long time.

"Well?!" Carys demanded, getting tears in her eyes.

"…That's what it looks like. He was ambushed by two or three Pokemon, by the looks of it." Sky said unhappily.

"NO!" Screamed Ranna. "I won't accept this!"

"He can't be gone!" Chimed Ezra, tears falling freely now.

"He's too nice and kind to be taken! Who would do such a hideous crime?" Sobbed Dyrim. Everyone was crying now.

"He gave us his last three Orange Gummis when we first met him," Cave was saying "Didn't know us at all, yet he gave us his favorite treats as a welcoming gift."

"He rivaled Manaphy in his ability to befriend anyone and everyone." Milana said somberly.

"He was one of the first Pokemon to be kind to me, after I left Cobalion's training. He truly was one of the few Pokemon with the purest of souls. So help me Arceus, I will find whoever took him, and he or she will _pay._" Blue Hood hadn't shed a single tear throughout all this, but at the end of his vow his voice actually cracked. Clearly, even the indifferent Lucario had been swayed by the sun that was Ben's kindness.

"I guess we should go back and tell everyone the bad news." Meloetta said in a dull voice once everyone had calmed down somewhat.

"We're staying behind in order to see if we can find out who did this." Sips said solemnly.

"Be back before ten tonight. Me, Ranna, and Dyrim will be holding vigil." Meloetta said.

"We will be there." Blue Hood nodded somberly.

"Let's go, I guess…" Chrysi shuffled forward towards the exit.

**Lily Town**

They had gotten back five hours ago. Everyone was equally horrified and shocked that sweet Ben had become part of the ever-growing lists of Pokemon who've disappeared recently. After much bawling, it was time for Ben's vigil. Ezra almost didn't want to go. She was so numb inside, she didn't think she could move. But Carys helped her up, and to the Square, where candles and various offerings lay against a giant picture of the Shiny Riolu on a makeshift stage. Strangely, a piano and drums sat in front of the pile. When everyone in town had arrived, Meloetta came forward.

"In light of this unbelievable tragedy, we wanted to come together and remember our beloved Riolu as he should be. He was much more than a Shiny Riolu who was kidnapped; he was someone with the truest heart and purest intentions. None of us could ever hope to even rival his kind soul. Now, if anyone would like to come up and say a few words, please feel free to do so." Meloetta said.

"Ben was my first real friend. When I first came to Lily Town, alone and sad, he instantly befriended me, and made me happy to be alive. He taught me how to enjoy life, and for that I will be eternally grateful to him." Said Lafea.

"He always joked with us. Every day he would stop by our store and ask us how we were doing, how sales were going, how much a Pecha Berry cost. But now that he's gone…I don't know how we're going to manage without his sunny cheer." Sniffed the green Kecleon Brother.

"I remember once, a while ago, he bought up all of my leftover stocks and distributed them all out to everyone in town. It must have cost him like, 10,000 Poke, but he gave it all away for free. For his friends. I remember I was astounded that someone had the heart to do such a thing. Ben truly had the biggest heart of them all." Neal sobbed.

"I didn't know Ben for very long. But…It feels like I've known him forever. It feels like I've lost part of my heart. And you can't function properly with half a heart. I don't know how I'll be able to go on without his smiles and hugs." Ezra bowed, feeling her flame dwindle dangerously low.

After everyone had their turn—they all were friends with Ben; no one could _not_ be friends with him—Meloetta and her team came back up to the stage.

"We will now play a song, in honor of our missing brother-in-all-but-blood." Dyrim said somberly as he took the piano. Ranna sat behind the drums, and Meloetta stood in front of the two.

Dyrim started the song with a slow melody, soft and sweet. Where his stubby arms could not reach the next keys in time, he used Psychic.

"I can't see your star…." Meloetta began. "I can't see your star…Though I patiently waited, bedside, for the death of today…And I'm alone now…" She continued mournfully.

Dyrim and Ranna continued to play, adding their voices to the background. Meloetta sang on, voicing her sorrow and loneliness.

"Why can't you feel me calling your name?" She mourned, all three reaching a crescendo "Can't break the silence; it's breaking me! All my fears, turned to rage…"

As they continued to sing and play, not a dry eye was to be found in both the players and audience. Team Siren's musical, harmonic empathy was too powerful, and their lyrics a perfect description of what everyone was feeling. The town would not recover from the choir for many days.

Soon Meloetta couldn't continue singing, for huge sobs wracked her entire body. Dyrim and Ranna continued sorrowfully, until finally they finished.

"We will miss you, Ben. Come home to us soon." Whispered Ezra, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

**A/N: What a chapter! I had a tough time writing this :'(**

**The song that Team Siren plays is a real song! It's called "Your Star" by Evanescence. **

**The next post will contain: A new day, an experiment, and The Wind.**


	12. Chapter 5 The Lake Trio

Chapter 5. The Lake Trio

Breakfast the next day was brutal. Everyone's eyes were red from crying, and the atmosphere was melancholy instead of the usual joviality. Even the bad-tempered Franziska had been affected by Ben's disappearance. Normally creating extravagant and lavish dishes, she had made simple oatmeal for everyone today, which in retrospect was probably the correct choice to make, as few Pokemon were eating. Indeed, she and Carys were being civil to one another for once. Usually they argued and insulted each other. Carys hadn't called her 'Franzy' once today.

"Last night we decided to go on a journey," Noibat broke the gloomy silence. "We're going to search dungeons far and wide in the hopes that we'll find Ben."

"When are you leaving?" Pelipper asked dully.

"After breakfast." Seadra responded sullenly.

"We're leaving as well. The Hooded Brotherhood brought back the plant Ben was originally looking for, so Torchic's well enough to be escorted back to his home. So, we're doing that today. Like Team Geo, we're going on an expedition for a while, to find peace within ourselves over this whole thing." Chrysi added.

"Good luck." Meloetta said simply. After that, conversation became too much, and everyone fell silent again.

"We should probably go down to the Bulletin Boards and see what job we want to take." Ezra said to Carys after breakfast had ended.

Although there were still lots of food on the table, it was clear everyone was done eating.

"You want to go on rescue missions _now?_" Said Ivysaur, astonished.

"Yes." Ezra nodded.

"Explain yourself." Demanded Carys.

"Well…Ben's disappearance has opened my eyes to how bad things are here. Don't forget, I'm not from this world. I thought that the disappearances and natural disasters were mere exaggerations. But…now that Ben's gone, I thought of all the families and friends who've been affected by the kidnappings. Think about it, countless Pokemon are feeling the exact same way we're all feeling right now. The thought's unbearable to me, so I feel like if we go out and rescue Pokemon in need, we'll be reuniting families and making the world a happier place, little by little. We'd be giving them hope when they most desire it." Explained Ezra.

"Ezra's right. Now that we have a first-hand experience with these disappearances, we need to step up the rescues tenfold. There are Pokemon who desperately need our help. Who are we to say no to them?" Said Macargo after a minute.

"Ben wouldn't want us to mope around and do nothing. He'd tell us not to worry about him, and focus on those we can give our aid to. While me and my team will be setting off now, we won't stop searching for him. Not even The Wind can stop us." Said Seadra, getting up.

"Who's The Wind?" Asked Carys.

"_What's_ The Wind, more like it. The Wind is…indescribable. No one knows if it's alive, or how it's caused. Whenever you stay too long on one floor in a dungeon, The Wind starts approaching. If you don't leave by the time it gets here, it knocks you out and blows you out of the dungeon. It's very creepy; no one's there, but you feel _something_ there." Shuddered Ranna.

"Ooh. That _is_ creepy." Winced Ezra.

"I want to try it." Said Carys.

"_What?!" _Everyone turned to look at her.

"I agree with Ezra's thinking that we need to save Pokemon, but I'm still feeling pretty raw after yesterday. We'll do that tomorrow. Today, I'd like to travel for a bit to clear my head. The Wind sounds intriguing, and I'd like to see if we can figure it out ourselves." Shrugged Carys.

"A-Alright…Odd way to cope, but hey." Shrugged Noibat.

"If you two are going to face The Wind, then put _everything_ on you into storage. Getting kicked out by The Wind is the same as getting knocked out, so keep everything safe so you don't lose it." Advised Meloetta.

"On it." Nodded Ezra.

"Well, I guess we, Team Valkyrie, and Team Banshee are off. Good bye everyone. We will see you again soon." Macargo said.

After the goodbyes, Team Banshee put all their items and money in the bank and storage, and set off for Joyful Forest.

**Joyful Forest**

**1F**

"Wow, we haven't been here in a long time!" Said Carys.

"This is the first dungeon we ever went to, when we rescued Chikorita from those Pokemon." Reminisced Ezra.

"Who were those Pokemon again? Team Renegade?" Asked Carys.

"Yeah. Formora the Froslass, Firnen the Fraxure, and Kialandi the Vibrava. We haven't seen them lately; I wonder what evil deeds they're up to lately." Wondered Ezra.

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about it. Well, this is a good floor as any. Shall we get started, Ez?" Asked Carys.

"Meloetta said we just had to wander around this floor for some time. Should be easy, and we can only get stronger by defeating the Pokemon here." Said Ezra.

"Alright, let's get to wandering!"

_Later…_

"I'm bored." Carys stated.

"It's only been five minutes since we entered." Ezra said wryly.

"I know. Do you know how long we have to keep walking around?" Asked Carys.

"No. I imagine quite some time. It seems The Wind only kicks you out if you've overstayed your welcome on the floor."

"What do you think it is, anyway?"

"I'm not sure. I guess we're going to find out."

_About an hour later…_

Suddenly, for no reason, a harsh gust picked up.

"Wow! I've never felt wind inside a dungeon before!" Exclaimed Carys.

They both realized what she just said.

"Oh my Arceus. The Wind. Something's stirring…" Carys whispered.

The wind didn't stop blowing. It wasn't strong enough to sweep Ezra off her feet, but it was powerful nevertheless.

"Okay, we know it exists now. Can we get out of here?" Ezra asked fretfully, getting nervous.

"No way! We're so close to solving the mystery of The Wind!" Exclaimed Carys.

"Do you feel as if we're being watched?" Ezra asked in a small voice.

"…Now that you mention it, I do feel as if..._something's_ nearby" Carys said after a moment.

"I guess we should keep moving." Ezra said.

"…Yeah."

_A few minutes later…_

The wind started picking up. Now it threatened to blow out Ezra's flame, and Carys was starting to struggle to remain where she wanted to float. They got the distinct feeling that Something was getting closer.

"Something's approaching…" Winced Carys.

"You sure you don't wanna get out of here?" Begged Ezra.

"And go back home saying that we Torchickened out? No way. Besides, we're supposed to go on and face our fears when exploring!" Resolved Carys.

"Ugh." Ezra groaned.

"Are you seeing anything? I wanna know what The Wind looks like." Inquired Carys.

"No, not seeing anything." Reported Ezra a few seconds later.

Suddenly the wind picked up even more, this time threatening to blow Ezra off her feet. Carys was actively struggling not to get blown away, and they all felt a malevolent _Presence _nearby.

"It's getting closer!" Wailed Ezra.

"Forget this, I wanna go home! Let's get to the Stairs quick, Ez!" Screamed Carys in terror.

They fled to the chamber where the Stairs were located, but right as they entered, The Wind finally arrived. It made its entrance by increasing the force of the gusts buffeting the two Pokemon. They could feel nothing but wind and an evil _Presence _all around them. Ezra tried to look at The Wind, but the gusts were buffeting her so hard her eye was watering. Even through the tears, she could see nothing.

"It's right nearby! Oh, it's gusting hard!" Screamed Ezra, finally being swept up by the wind as her flame was extinguished.

The next thing she knew, she was lying on soft grass. Her body ached all over. She slowly got up, clutching her aching head. She turned to see Carys stirring beside her.

"Oh man…what happened?" The floating pumpkin groaned.

"The Wind happened." Ezra winced.

"Ugh, I remember now. Worst. Idea. Ever. Ezra, if I ever want to do something stupid like that again, please stop me." Said Carys.

"Will so. C'mon, I want to go home." Ezra said miserably.

The two headed slowly back to Lily Town, haunted by their experience.

**Lily Town**

"So, how'd it go?" Asked Meloetta when they arrived back in town.

"It went exactly as you'd expect." Ezra winced.

"Ooh, I'm sorry. Well, you didn't miss much here. Team Triple S is back, along with Team Dauntless." Ranna reported.

"Aw, we haven't seen those five in a long time!" Said Carys.

"Let's go say hello." Ezra suggested as they entered Rose's Lofts.

"Welcome back, Ezra and Carys." Pelipper nodded dully. While Team Banshee's expedition had improved their moods somewhat, it was obvious the others weren't as fortunate.

"Hey, it's Team Banshee! Whassup?" Called Sam from the commons room, where his team was playing Go Fish against Team Dauntless.

"Hello all." Ezra nodded.

"We heard about Ben. That's just heartbreaking. Who would kidnap such a sweet person?" Sympathized Will.

"Indeed. Me and my sister are taking a break from our outlaw-capturing spree, but once we return to it we will definitely look out for him." Said Vaporeon.

"We captured a total of 54 outlaws last we saw you. It would've been 55, but _someone_ decided to follow us into a dungeon and jeopardize our mission." Sylveon glared at a Froakie sitting away from all the others, near the huge fireplace.

"Sorry." He said, not sounding sorry at all.

"Also, hello Shiny Litwick and Pumpkaboo. My name's Kiro, and I am the one and only member of Team Tempest." The Froakie introduced himself, hopping over to them.

"Hello. I'm Ezra, and this is Carys. We're Team Banshee." Ezra nodded.

"Nice to meet you. I—" Whatever Kiro was going to say was interrupted by a booming voice from downstairs.

"Yo, exploration teams! Ya miss us?!"

"That sounded like Mercury from the Bravo Specials." Said Carys, confused.

And indeed, it was. All four Specials lumbered into the commons room.

"Ezzie and Carrie! I missed you two!" Roman beamed, hugging the two close.

"Mmph mmthhth mm hmm! ( **A/N: Translation: "We missed you too!")**" Carys mumbled.

"Hello Roman, Grayson, Ambrose, and Mercury." Greeted Marcus.

"Greetings. We miss anything?" Asked Ambrose.

The room was suddenly deathly quiet.

"What? What's wrong?" Asked Grayson.

"You remember Ben?" Asked Will.

"Yeah, of course. Why?" Replied Roman, concerned.

"He disappeared a couple days ago." Ezra said unhappily.

"_What?!_ You're kidding!" Exclaimed Mercury.

"Unfortunately, they're not." Sylveon shrugged uncomfortably.

"But…why would he vanish?" Asked Ambrose.

"He was kidnapped." Ranna explained sadly. All four Pokemon went pale.

"No." Grayson shook his head in disbelief.

"Yes…" Meloetta nodded sadly.

"Some reunion this turned out to be." Sighed Ambrose.

Everyone fell silent, remembering their emotional pain. Kiro then went around and gave everyone an apple.

"I know this won't bring back your friend, but..." He shrugged sadly.

"Thank you." Ezra hugged him.

Everyone spent the rest of the evening after dinner watching the fire dance in the fireplace, comforting each other with hugs and just being together.

"By the way, Team Banshee, how did your experiment go?" Asked Rose.

"Experiment?" Inquired Vaporeon.

"They went to go face The Wind." Explained Ivysaur.

"Ooh, I already know how this ends." Winced Roman.

"Nothing to tell, really. We went in, and got blown out by The Wind. It was super creepy." Shuddered Ezra.

"Yeah, The Wind isn't something you mess with. Ever. It's like, the king or queen of all dungeons." Grayson said sympathetically.

"We didn't see anything; we just felt an evil presence all around us." Said Carys.

"Yup, that's The Wind for ya. All menace and no mercy." Nodded Mercury.

"Like me." Murmured Franziska.

"Did I just hear you make a joke, Franzy?" Carys wondered aloud.

"No, I was merely stating a fact." Glared Franziska.

"I don't know, it did sound to me like you were joking." Rose said with a mischievous smirk.

"The very thought! Hmph!" Franziska stalked off to her own room. Everyone laughed despite the ache in their hearts.

"Glad to see Franziska feeling better. Truth be told, I'm feeling slightly better as well." Rose commented.

"The pain will be there for a long time, but I think I can manage now." Added Pelipper.

Everyone agreed.

**A/N: Thanks to OPFan37 for Kiro!**

**Side note: If your OC hasn't appeared yet, don't worry! This just means that I plan to have them debut at a later point in time. They'll appear, I assure you.**

**The next chapter will contain: A rescue mission, reports of disasters, and questions.**


	13. Chapter 13

The next day after breakfast, Ezra and Carys headed downstairs to the Bulletin Boards to look for a job to do.

"So, which Bulletin Board do you want to look at?" Asked Carys.

"Let's take a mission from the Job Bulletin Board. I don't know if I want to face an outlaw today." Shuddered Ezra. They looked at the posts on the Board.

"See anything that looks good?" Asked Carys, surveying the requests.

"Hmm…Most of these take place in dungeons we've never been to. Should we take one of those?" Ezra asked in return,

"Nah, let's stay local." Carys shook her head.

"Alright. …Oh, here's one that's in Lush Highland." Said Ezra, taking said post.

"_I went into Lush Highland to explore, but the Pokemon here are too tough for me. Could someone please rescue me on 7F? My husband and kids must be very worried by now. I will reward 500 Poke and an X-eye Seed. –Lanturn_" The post read.

"A mother who's lost and can't get home? Of course we have to take that one!" Exclaimed Carys.

"I agree. There's a family that needs to be reunited, and we're the ones to do it!" Chimed Ezra as they set out.

**Lush Highland **

**1F**

"I see this place hasn't changed a bit." Said Carys, looking around.

"Well, Celebi's not here anymore, so there's that." Shrugged Ezra as they got moving.

"We don't know that. Remember, Scizor said that she fled after we defeated her at Gratitude Valley. She could've returned." Fretted Carys while picking up a Blast Seed.

"It's only been a couple of days since we fought her. I don't think she'd be foolish enough to come back so soon." Ezra shook her head.

"I never studied criminal psychology, so I wouldn't know." Carys shrugged.

**2F**

"Our client's a Lanturn, right? Don't they live in the water?" Asked Ezra while fighting a Tropius.

"Yep." Carys said shortly, dealing with two Grovyles.

"Then—Flame Burst!—how can our client breathe?" Ezra asked.

"As I understand, water-types can breathe air—Shadow Sneak!—like we do; it's just more comfortable for them to breathe—Faint, darn you!—with their gills. You'd want to ask Sora, or maybe Kiro or Ambrose. On second thought, never mind that. They—Hah! Got you both~—usually live on land anyways." Replied Carys.

"What about Franziska?" Asked Ezra.

"I mean, you _could_ ask her, but she'd probably Razor Shell you just for looking at her. Very uptight, Franzy is." Mused Carys.

"Hmm." Was all Ezra said.

**3F**

"There be Stairs." Ezra pointed.

**4F**

"Almost there to 7F! Just a few more floors to go!" Carys said encouragingly.

"We've gone through dungeons longer than seven floors. We'll be just fine." Rebuked Ezra.

"I know, but a little encouragement never hurt anyone." Carys pouted.

"What about Franziska encouraging you to lay off the candy?" Supplied Ezra.

"…Okay, maybe encouragement isn't always for the best." Carys said after a moment. Ezra laughed.

Franziska still refused to give Carys any candy at mealtimes, much to the latter's outrage. But, she still got her daily fix, as Neal often had loads of leftovers at the end of the day. And was willing to sell it to the candy-loving Carys.

**5F**

"Hex!"

"Then Astonish!" Ezra and Carys took down a ferocious Sceptile guarding a Reviver Seed.

"Hah! Teamwork is amazing!" Grinned Carys.

**6F**

"Stairs!" Ezra and Carys shrieked at the same time.

**7F**

"We're here! Now, let's find Lanturn and get out of this Arceusforsaken place." Carys said.

"Yeah. Where do you think she is?" Asked Ezra.

"Dunno. On this floor, and that's all I know." Shrugged Carys.

"Well, let's find her before The Wind shows up." Shuddered Ezra.

"Argh! Don't even _mention_ that evil presence!" Wailed Carys.

"Okay, okay! Sheesh." Said Ezra.

Presently, they entered a chamber only to find a Heracross attacking a Lanturn.

"There she is! C'mon, we gotta rescue her!" Exclaimed Ezra, running over to the Lanturn's aid.

"Ember!" She yelled, one-shotting the aggressor.

"Please, no more enemies…"Lanturn moaned in terror. It was obvious she was terrified.

"Don't worry; we're here to rescue you! You're Lanturn, right?" Carys asked gently. Lanturn nodded.

"Well, we're Team Banshee! We're a rescue team!" Carys beamed.

"A rescue team…? Oh, thank Arceus! I've been trapped here…I don't even know how long I've been stuck here." Lanturn shivered, not from cold.

"Well, your nightmare's coming to an end. Here you are!" Said Ezra, raising her badge to Lanturn.

A white light beamed the Pokemon out of the dungeon. Carys and Ezra then turned the badges onto themselves, teleporting out of Lush Highland.

**Lily Town**

"Thanks again so much for rescuing me! Here's the money and Seed I promised. Please, take it. I've no use for it." Lantern said gratefully, handing the items over.

"No problem! Do you need any help going back home to your husband and kids?" Asked Ezra.

"No, no, thank you. I live not too far from here. Thanks again for what you did. Farewell!" Lanturn said as she somehow swam through the air and out the door to Rose's Lofts. Ezra blinked in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that.

"Another good deed done! Let's go to dinner, Ez." Beamed Carys, oblivious to the oddity that just occured.

Ezra opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. She figured things like that were normal in this world, despite the blatant defiance of logic.

Dinner wasn't as joyful as Carys had hoped it would be. A lot of the residents were still downcast over Ben's disappearance, and the others had received news of the outside world.

"Ten more natural disasters have been reported today! _Ten_! That's a new record!" Roman sobbed.

"The world is falling apart." Sylveon chimed in sadly.

"Twenty more Pokemon have been reported missing." Sighed Dyrim.

"Serene Desert, normally a peaceful place, now has a raging sandstorm that shows no signs of stopping. An earthquake has opened up a new place called Rigid Cave. A massive hurricane is forming over Mirror Ocean. And that's just the tip of today's iceberg!" Listed Ivysaur.

"Wow…That's awful." Mourned Ezra in sympathy. "These things are being caused by distortions in space, right?"

"Yeah, dimensions, time, and space are messed up, and we're suffering the consequences." Confirmed Grayson.

"Aren't Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina responsible for all this?" Asked Ezra, getting an idea.

"Yeah. Why?" Asked Vaporeon.

"Then why aren't they stopping any of this?" Ezra wondered aloud.

"I'm not entirely sure. But, I do know that if one aspect is messed up, then the other two are distorted as well, and the Creation Trio can't do anything about it unless they simultaneously fix the problems. For example, if time isn't working correctly, then space and dimensions aren't working right either. All three balance each other equally, you see. So, Palkia and Giratina can't do anything about it unless they and Dialga work together to correct the problem. Last I knew, they've been slumbering peacefully, so they might not even be aware of what's going on." Pondered Meloetta.

"Then we should wake them up!" Exclaimed Carys.

"It's not that easy. For one, I don't know where they live, and the Creation Trio bicker so much that they might not even be willing to work together. I'm only a minor legendary, so unfortunately I don't know everything." Meloetta shook her head.

"Legendary politics is dubious even at the best of times." She sighed sadly. "But, Carys, your idea is a good one. If someone knew where to find them, then we could at least try to make them understand."

"We'll keep our ears open." Mercury said. The others agreed.

"So it's settled! We just find someone who knows where the Creation Trio live! That shouldn't be too hard." Carys said cheerfully. "I'm full. Let's go deposit our items and money, Ezra!"

"Hey, wait for me!" Ezra called after the departing Pumpkaboo.

"I love candy." Carys declared after they had finished their nightly routine of depositing and buying items. They had also finished Carys's nightly routine of buying candy from Neal after his store hours ended.

"Everyone knows you love candy." Ezra said to her.

"As they should. Hey! Let's go to Sora's Library and see if he discovered what the Shard is!" Carys suggested.

"Great idea! Let's go!" Ezra said as they wandered into Sora's place.

"Soraaaaa!" Carys called.

"Good evening, Team Banshee. How may I be of service?" Sora bowed, coming to greet them.

"We're here to see if you've discovered anything about the Mysterious Shard." Said Ezra.

"Ah, I see. I regret to inform you two that I have failed in my task to find anything related to the artifact. While it was a joyous endeavor, it was also an unfruitful one. My deepest apologies." He bowed sadly.

"Aww. Well, that's okay. We really appreciate you taking the time out of your life to do us this favor." Carys said.

"It was a pleasure. Have you two made any headway into your own quest?" He inquired.

"About Ezra's past? No, but we do have a new plan regarding the ripped dimensions." Ezra said.

"You do? Please elaborate, if you will. I would be most willing to hear." Sora perked up.

"Well, everyone at the Lofts has decided to alert the slumbering Creation Trio about their distorted domains. The only problem is that no one knows where to find them." Explained Ezra.

"Find the Creation Trio? Hmm. I know not where they live, but I do know someone who may be of service." Pondered Sora.

"Really? Who?" Carys asked eagerly.

"On the top of Serene Desert lies the home of a great seer. She has been blessed with the Sight, and she is gifted at seeing the future. She may know the answers to your problems." Answered Sora.

"A seer? Wow!" Exclaimed Ezra.

"I know of her because she is my sister." Replied Sora with a small smile.

"Your _sister_? Whoa, I never knew you had a sister! What's her name? What does she look like?" Demanded Carys.

"Her name is Sola."

_How original,_ Ezra thought sardonically.

"She is a Reuniclus like me, but she is Shiny. There's no mistaking her." Sora went on.

"Got it. Thanks a bunch, Sora!" Beamed Carys.

"Would you like to take back your Shard?" He inquired.

"Sure! C'mon, Ez, let's lug the thing back to our room." Carys replied.

"Your bag has a large hammerspace, you know. No item is too big for it." Said Sora, handing the Shard over.

Together, Ezra and Carys put the Shard into the bag. To their astonishment, the Shard went in, and disappeared! It was still visible, but yet it took up no room in the bag.

"Whoa." Was all Carys could say.

"If you'll excuse me, I must retire to my rooms for the evening." Sora spoke.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Good night, Sora!" Said Ezra as they left.

"It's awfully late; let's go see Sora's sister tomorrow. Where did he say she lived?" Asked Carys.

"Serene Desert. …Wait, Ivysaur said that it has a nonstop sandstorm now." Ezra replied.

"You're really gonna let a little sand stop us from getting the answers we need?" Demanded Carys.

"…You're right. Tomorrow, we get our answers!"

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for all the positive feedback and support! I never imagined this to be so popular **** Thanks from the bottom of my heart! Y'all are amazing~**

**The next post shall contain: A desert, a sister, and a new lead.**


	14. Chapter 14

"So, what's everyone doing today?" Roman asked casually at breakfast.

"We're researching an artifact called the Lost Loot. Once we find a clue as to where it's located, we'll set forth to obtain it." Replied Dyrim.

"Sylveon and I heard there is a delightful hot spring a little past Gleaming Woods. We plan to travel there to relax after tirelessly hunting down outlaws." Said Vaporeon.

"Indeed." His sister agreed, aloof as ever.

"Oh, I know that place! You'll love it; the water is hot enough to melt away stress but not so hot as to scorch you. Anyways, we received word that a notorious criminal called Nidoking is hiding out in Dappled Pond, so we're gonna bring him to justice." Marcus said gleefully.

"Good luck, you three! As for us four, we're going to take as many missions as we can that take place in our favorite dungeon, Sunset Beach." Grinned Grayson in anticipation.

"What's so special about it?" Asked Ranna.

"A lot of rare items can be found there, and at the end of the dungeon you can see the most marvelous sunset if you time it right. The view…I can't even describe it. It overlooks the ocean, you see, and the sun turns the water the most beautiful shades of orange, pink, purple…" Mercury trailed off, daydreaming about the scene.

"It sounds like a wonderful place." Admired Ezra.

"It is. We like to sit there, watching the sunset, forgetting our worries for a little bit. Whenever we feel too stressed or overwhelmed, we journey there to remind ourselves that, no matter what happens, the sun will always rise again tomorrow." Reminisced Ambrose.

"That's a beautiful thought. I'll have to remember that. Lafea is teaching me how to paint today. I've always wanted to learn how, but I never really had the time to." Said Rose.

"As for me, I have to man the exploration team registration desk as always." Said Pelipper.

"And I have to sort today's new job requests." Added Ivysaur.

"I have shopping to do." Franziska said curtly.

"What about you, Kiro? What are you doing today?" Rose asked kindly.

"Hmm? Oh, I'll probably go exploring or something." Kiro said blandly. Everyone waited for him to continue, but the Froakie remained silent.

"…Okay, well, me and Ezra are going to Serene Desert to talk to Sora's sister. She's a seer and might know why bad things are happening and how to stop them." Carys said after an awkward silence.

"Sora has a sister?" Asked Ivysaur, thoroughly confused.

"Apparently." Ezra shrugged.

"Huh. I never knew." Pelipper said in wonder.

"Well, he's not one to talk about his personal life." Reminded Rose.

"I guess that's true. Wait, she lives in Serene Desert? But the sandstorm…" Protested Will.

"Hopefully she hasn't moved yet. We're going to try and catch her before she leaves." Said Carys.

"Well, you'll need goggles to protect your eyes from the sand. I should have some somewhere. If you'll excuse me…" Rose said, getting up and going somewhere.

She returned a few minutes later with two pairs of blue goggles.

"Sweet! Thank you, Rose! We'll take good care of them!" Beamed Carys, trying hers on. "Everything is blue!"

"It's no problem. Good luck, you two!" Rose smiled kindly. Everyone wished them farewell.

"**Serene" Desert**

The two arrived at the dungeon. They knew it was the right one because of the raging sandstorm all around them.

"Waah! It's like The Wind here, minus the chilling presence!" Exclaimed Carys, who was trying not to get blown away.

"Ugh, this sand itches!" Complained Ezra, who like Carys, was being pelted with sand.

"Let's just find Sola and get out of here before we're eroded away." Carys suggested miserably.

"Good plan. Let's go." Nodded Ezra as they went in.

**1F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"Ahh! It's no better in here!" Exclaimed Carys. Indeed, the sandstorm was as merciless as it had been outside.

"I'm actually taking damage from this Arceus-awful sand." Winced Ezra.

"Seriously? Hey, I am too! We'd better find the Stairs." Worried Carys.

"We have lots of Oran Berries, right?" Asked Ezra as they got moving.

"Uhh…Yep! Four in total." Reported Carys a minute later.

"Hmm. Hopefully that'll be enough." Frowned Ezra.

"It'll have to be." Shrugged Carys.

**2F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"Hey, Ezra. See that sleeping Hippopotas?" Carys asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Yeah, what about it?" Asked Ezra, pointing to the sleeping Pokemon in the corner of the chamber.

"Should we wake it up?" Carys suggested wickedly.

"No! That'd be a horrible thing to do!" Exclaimed Ezra, shocked.

"Ugh, you're no fun. Alright, fine." Sulked Carys as they left the chamber.

**3F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"There's an Aron! Let's see, I think either a Razor Leaf or a Flame Burst will be effective." Thought Carys aloud as the tiny Pokemon stalked towards them in the hall.

"Well, let me Flame Burst it, then you can Razor Leaf it from the wall." Suggested Ezra.

"Good idea!" Laughed Carys, phasing into the wall.

"Flame Burst!" Yelled Ezra.

The Aron went down, and Carys came out from the wall.

"Aww, I wanted to have some fun." She pouted.

"You can have the next one." Consoled Ezra.

"Sweet! Hey, if we travel via the wall, will that save us some time? I'm tired of this sand hurting me." Asked Carys.

"It might, but wall-travel drains our stamina, remember?" Replied Ezra.

"Hmm…We have a couple apples…yeah, let's not risk it. We'll just have to—mmph! Thand in my mouff! Bleh!—run for it. Ugh, sand tastes like dirt." Winced Carys, spitting it out with a grimace.

"Sand _is_ dirt." Said Ezra.

"…I knew that."

**4F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"Carys! Here's a Rainy Orb!" Ezra said excitedly, breaking it. Instantly, clouds swirled up into the sky, and rain started to fall.

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

"But…Water makes you weaker." Said Carys.

"I know, but it beats being pelted nonstop with sand. And it's not like rain actively hurts me; it just feels uncomfortable to me." Explained Ezra.

"Oh…Well, I admire your resolve. Shall we?" Said Carys.

"Indeed, let's chase down that Hippopotas I see in the hall." Suggested Ezra.

"On it!" Laughed Carys as they ran towards the Hippopotas. It turned to face them.

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"WHAT?! NO!" Screamed Ezra.

"Ugh! That's right; Sand Stream is Hippopotas's Ability! I'm an idiot." Carys shook her head in distaste as Ezra quickly dispatched the Hippopotas with a Hex.

"We both forgot. On the plus side, I can see the Stairs from here." Pointed Ezra.

**5F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"Oh, hey, Stairs." Ezra said, surpised.

**6F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"More Stairs!" Declared Carys.

**7F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"Three in a row! Hah, that's a new record!" Laughed Carys

**8F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"What I don't understand is how a parent can name their kids Sora and Sola." Carys was saying.

"Yeah, their names are very original." Ezra said sarcastically.

"I wonder if they have a brother named Sota? Or a sister named Sona." Carys joked.

"Sola's a seer, right? I wonder if she Saw this conversation." Wondered Ezra. Carys was silent for a minute.

"Sorry, Sola!" She called. Ezra laughed.

**9F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"I wonder what Sola's like. Is she formal like her brother, or more fun-loving?" Pondered Ezra.

"I dunno. She must be very intelligent like Sora, since she's a powerful wielder of the Sight." Replied Carys.

Their conversation was interrupted by a Sandslash blocking their way in the hall.

"You Razor Leaf it, and I'll Gravelrock it." Said Ezra, switching places with Carys.

"You bet! Razor Leaf!" Yelled Carys. The Sandslash dodged it, and used its regular attack on her.

"Ow! Not fair! Confuse Ray!" Stormed Carys, confusing their foe.

"Follow up with a Gravelrock!" Called Ezra, sending one of the heavy stones onto the Sandslash's head.

It tried to use Slash, but was facing in the opposite direction.

"Razor Leaf!" Said Carys, this time hitting it. It fainted.

"Teamwork!" Sang Carys.

**10F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"What we're we saying the previous floor before we got attacked." Asked Carys.

"What Sola's like." Answered Ezra.

"Ah yes, I remember now. I wonder how Sight works. I mean, there's Future Sight, but it sounds like they're two totally different things." Said Carys.

"I wouldn't know. I don't possess future-telling abilities." Shrugged Ezra.

_I have Voice, but that doesn't count, _she thought. _Hey, Voice, you there? I haven't spoken to you in a while._ But Voice didn't answer.

_Hmph. Some friend._

**11F**

"Hey…the weather's clear!" Exclaimed Carys, looking up at the sky.

"But I thought the storm never abates." Said Ezra, confused.

"It's certainly strange. But hey, I'll take it! That reminds me, would you like an Oran Berry?" Asked Carys.

"Yes, please." Ezra said gratefully. The sandstorm really hurt!

"Excuse me, Cacnea, but you're uninvited to this picnic! Remove yourself!" Stormed Carys at an intruding Cacnea.

In response, it used Pin Missile on Carys.

"Ahh! Super effective! How dare you hurt me! Astonish!" She yelled, but missed.

The Cacnea used Needle Arm on her.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" Called Ezra to the wounded Carys.

"Stun Seed!" Ezra said, throwing the seed into the Cacanea's mouth. It instantly went rigid, unable to move.

"Thanks, Ezzie! Astonish!" Yelled Carys.

"And Ember!" Added Ezra, taking it down.

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"Aww, I knew the good weather was too good to be true." Grumbled Carys.

**12F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"Aaaand, here the storm is again." Sighed Ezra.

"On the plus side, we have Stairs." Carys said helpfully.

**13F**

"Why do you think the sandstorm's acting weird all of a sudden? Also can you hand me an apple? I'm hungry." Asked Ezra.

"I don't know, I never studied meteorology." Shrugged Carys, giving one to her.

"What _did_ you study, then" Asked Ezra, not seriously.

"Mathematics and Pokemon Species." Replied Carys. Ezra stopped dead in her tracks.

"Seriously?" She asked Carys.

"Yeah. How do you think I know so much about Abilities, type matchups, and species of various Pokemon?" Carys shrugged.

"Whoa. That's amazing. I never knew." Ezra remarked, impressed.

Carys shrugged, smiling.

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"Enough with the sand already!" Carys screamed to the heavens.

**14F**

"I know a sandstorm's gonna pop up on this floor, so go ahead and show up!" Carys raged at the sky. But it remained clear.

"Hey, how's about you toss a Gravelrock at this Vibrava?" Ezra called from across the room, narrowly dodging a Steel Wing.

"Here you are!" Carys called, tossing one at the Vibrava. It shook the pain off and brutally cut Ezra with a Dragon Claw.

"Owww!" She wailed.

"Hold on, Ez! Hey, there's a Stick in the bag! When did we—Oh, right, Pickup. Hm. Anyways, have a Stick!" Carys hurled the Stick at the Vibrava, who fainted when it pierced its side.

"Thanks, Carys." Ezra nodded gratefully.

"No problem. I'm really not sure how I feel about my Pickup Ability. Sometimes it's useful, other times not so much." Carys commented.

"On the plus side, it either gives us useful items or items we can sell for Poke." Said Ezra.

"This is true."

**Serene Cliffs**

"Hey, we made it to the top! But, there's no sandstorm here." Said Carys, confused.

The dungeon led to a large clifftop overlooking the desert below. They could see the sandstorm raging below the clouds.

"Wow…I've never seen the clouds from the top before." Marveled Ezra.

"They're pretty. But why is the weather clear hee?" Wondered Carys

"The sun shines on the clouds in a most satisfying way, no? And we are too high up for sandstorms to form." An unfamiliar voice said.

They turned to see a floating blue Pokemon exiting a small cottage near the side of the cliff. The Pokemon was a Shiny Reuniclus.

"Greetings, travelers. My name is Sola. And you are Ezra and Carys." She introduced.

"Yes. How did you know that?" Asked Ezra.

"I Saw my dear brother direct you to my domain." Sola replied tonelessly.

_She's as wise as Sora, and as solemn as him too._ Ezra thought wryly.

"So you know why we're here?" Asked Carys.

"Yes. You wish to learn the secrets behind the world's destruction, and how to find the Creation Trio. I have tried time and time again to learn these things myself, but Something is blocking my Sight. I cannot See the reasons behind the unbalanced forces, nor where the Creation Trio, the Lake Trio, and their Master lie." Sola said sadly.

"So your Sight is gone?" Asked Ezra, not understanding.

"No, child. I can direct my focus to anything other than the one thing everyone wishes to know. As I said, Something very old and very powerful is preventing me from finding out. It makes sense, for I have Seen glimpses of what's to come, and none of it is good." Sola said ominously.

"If you've Seen something that we can use, then please tell us!" Begged Ezra. Sola sighed.

"Very well, child. Listen closely, for it concerns all life on this planet. I have not been able to See much lately, but the glimpses I have divulged are enough to make me tremble in fear. I See war arriving, war and darkness. Something has stirred from its wrathful slumber, and seeks to plunge the world in chaos. The Darkness has already begun to consume the Light, and if it is not stopped, the Light will be expunged from existence forever!" She toned forbearingly.

"This great Beast, I have not been able to identify. It is most likely the Deity that is blocking Itself from my Sight, and the cause of the distortions in the world." She went on.

Ezra suddenly felt Voice's presence in her head, listening intently to the blue Reuniclus.

"But, I have also learned that there is a light in this Darkness. The Light has chosen a Champion to fight the Darkness, and this Champion is the only hope the Light has of stopping the Darkness. I have Seen many futures, so I cannot tell you if the Champion will win or not. I have Seen a world ravaged by chaos, a world where no life exists, and a world where this dimension doesn't exist anymore. But, I have also Seen a world where the Champion prevails. The only hope we have lies with this Chosen One." Sola concluded.

"A Chosen One? Do you know who it is?" Asked Carys.

"Nay, child. It has been blocked from me, but by a different Deity. The Dark Deity blocks its doings from me, but the Light Deity has blocked the Chosen One's identity, to protect its Champion. If the Darkness knew who the Chosen One was, it would stop at nothing to obliterate the only hope the Light has. I understand that Pokemon have been disappearing lately. I cannot confirm it, but it is my belief that these Pokemon are being taken to the Dark Deity, who is searching for the Chosen One." Sola closed her eyes in sadness.

"Can…Can you try and See a friend of ours?" Ezra asked tentatively, getting an idea.

"I can try. What do you wish?" Sola inquired.

"We'd like to know the location of a Shiny Riolu named Ben. He disappeared a few days ago." Carys answered, catching on.

"I know not of this Ben. Do you have anything of his? It'll make it easier for me to scry him." Sola replied. Wordlessly, Ezra gave Sola Ben's cobalt bow.

"Ah, this will do. Now, let me begin…" Sola closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the sun, seemingly in a trance. After a few moments, she shook her head.

"His location has been blocked from my Sight. I cannot tell where he is. But, I do know that he is alive. I am sorry for not giving you much else." Sola bowed.

"Oh…Well, thank you anyway." Ezra sighed sadly.

"Your information has been very valuable to us. However can we repay you?" Offered Carys.

"I desire no payment. I am glad that my meager divinations have sufficed." Sola bowed.

"'Meager'? You told us that war is coming and that there's a Chosen One! My only question is how you knew all that if your Sight's been blocked." Asked Ezra.

"I've read the signs in the stars, and in other places. I am well trained in the art of divination and future-telling. For years the signs have pointed to a great war occurring. With everything going on lately, I have merely connected the dots, to put it in simplest terms. Tell me, how is my dear twin?" Sola changed the subject suddenly.

"Sora? He's just fine. As scholarly and formal as ever." Ezra replied. Sola smiled.

"We Reuniclus are known for having sharper minds than most. But it does not mean we do not experience emotion. Our speech is simply the product of being burdened with knowledge. Knowledge…This has given me an idea. My Sight is not powerful enough to break through the psychic blocks, but there is a Pokemon who could possibly break through the Dark Deity's block. His name is Uxie, and he is the Being of Knowledge. He is a much greater seer than I. His mind would be a worthy one to seek out." Sola advised.

"Uxie?! One of the Lake Trio?" Gasped Carys.

"Indeed. I know not where Uxie lives—He and his siblings guard their locations most closely—but your friend Meloetta might know. Beware, though. Uxie possesses the ability to erase memories, so state your intentions immediately upon contact." Warned Sola.

"Erases memories? Ezra! Uxie might have been the one to take your memories away!" Exclaimed Carys happily.

"Maybe so!" Ezra said, getting excited. They were finally getting some answers at last.

"Do you have a memory problem?" Inquired Sola to Ezra.

"Yes. I used to be a human from another dimension, but somehow I was brought here. My memories were erased in the process." Ezra said sadly.

Sola immediately became more alert.

"A human? From another world?" She demanded, her voice urgent.

"Y-Yes." Ezra said, startled at her sudden change in demeanor.

Sola stared at Ezra for a few seconds, then became her normal composed self.

"I see. You have given me much to think about. I hope we will see each other again, perhaps when times are better. Fare you well, Carys and Ezra. Give my regards to my dear Sora." Sola bowed.

"We will. Thank you, Sola. If we learn anything new, we'll be sure to let you know." Carys bowed as the two exited the dungeon.

Sola stared after them. "So…" She murmured to herself, lost in thought. She looked one last time at the departing Pokemon, then went inside her cottage to meditate.

**The next chapter will contain: A seagreen sea, a puzzle, and a cape.**


	15. Chapter 15

_**What did you think of the seer's proclamations?**_ Asked Voice as Ezra and Carys headed back to Lily Town. Ezra thought for a moment.

_I'm a bit apprehensive at the thought of Evil threatening the world, but I'm also relieved to know that there's a Chosen One who will stop the destruction of the planet. I have hope that he or she will succeed. In the meantime, I want to focus on finding Uxie and getting to the bottom of my predicament. _She explained.

_**I see. I—Argh! I must go, and quickly! Farewell for now, Ezra!** _Voice said hastily, and withdrew from Ezra's mind.

**Lily Town**

"We're ba-ack!" Carys called as they arrived at the Lofts.

"Good to see you two! Come upstairs; everyone wants to hear about your trip." Greeted Pelipper as the three went up to the second floor.

They arrived to find everyone currently living in the Lofts seated in a thick half-circle around two chairs seated in front of the fireplace. To Ezra's surprise, Sora was there as well.

"Greetings, friends. I wished to know what my dear sister told you, so I was invited to hear your tale." Sora bowed.

"Uh, okay." Said Carys as they took their seats in front of their grandiose audience.

"*_Ahem* _So, we got to the end of Serene Desert, where Sora's twin sister Sola lives." Began Carys.

"What's she like?" Interrupted Sam.

"She's a lot like Sora, only she can See the future." Replied Ezra.

"Indeed, my Shiny twin is akin to me in many ways. But, we have our differences as well. She is an optimist, and I a realist. She studies the divine, I study the physical and academic. I do miss her, and I am curious to hear more about her divinations." Sora nodded wistfully.

"Why don't you visit her then?" Asked Ranna.

"I would, but that would require me to go through the desert dungeon. You see, I have taken a vow of pacifism, and traversing through a dungeon would require me to—ugh—fight." He explained, wincing in distaste at the thought of violence.

"We'll escort you." Offered Marcus.

"You would? Oh! This pleases me. I would love that ever so much. Thank you dearly. " Sora bowed gratefully to the Abra.

"_Anyway,_" Cut in Ezra, "we got up there, and Sola told us that war is coming. A great evil is threatening to destroy us and all we hold dear. She couldn't tell us much, for her future-telling abilities are being blocked, but she was certain that this evil is the thing causing all the distortions in the world." At this, everyone started murmuring worriedly to each other.

"But it's okay, 'cause there's a Chosen One who's there to lead the Good side to victory! Only thing is, no one knows who the Chosen One is." Carys added.

"Ooh, how mysterious." Commented Vaporeon.

"That's the gist of it, really. Oh! Also, Sola told us that Uxie might be able to tell us more information, but she doesn't know where he lives. And he apparently can erase memories, so he might've been the one to take mine!" Ezra added excitedly.

"Who's Uxie?" Wondered Kiro.

"Uxie is the Being of Knowledge, and part of the Lake Trio. He was responsible for giving Pokemon the gift of thought. He is said to be very wise. It's entirely possible he was the one to wipe Ezra's memory." Explained Meloetta.

"Wow! That's amazing! I hope you can find out more about your past, Ezra. This Uxie guy sounds like a fantastic lead to follow." Grinned Roman.

"I don't know where Uxie lives, but I do remember where his sibling Azelf does. You two could visit Azelf and get Uxie's location from him." Suggested Meloetta.

"That'd be perfect!" Beamed Carys.

"Azelf lives in a place called Scorched Cape. You can get there by going through Seafoam Sea, which is here." Meloetta took out her map and showed it to Ezra and Carys. "Be careful, though. Azelf doesn't like intruders, so you two will have to solve a puzzle in order to access Scorched Cape." She warned.

"What's the puzzle?" Asked Ezra.

"I'm not allowed to tell you, but I can say this: Azelf is the Being of Willpower." She informed cryptically.

"'He's the Being of Willpower'? What does that mean?" Asked Carys, frowning in confusion.

"That's all I can say." Meloetta shook her head.

"Aww. Well, thank you for telling us." Carys said gratefully.

"Oh! This reminds me; have you two encountered waypoints yet?" Meloetta asked. The two shook their heads.

"Well, some dungeons—like Azelf's—have checkpoints halfway through the dungeon. You simply touch it, and it completely restores your health and stamina. If you get knocked out, you'll be sent to the waypoint instead of kicked out of the whole dungeon." She explained.

"Sounds good! Thanks!" Carys beamed.

"Well! You've certainly given us a lot to think about. Darkness, war, and a Chosen One…Hmm." Said Rose, getting up.

"If we're all done here, then let's go to the dining hall before all of my hard work gets cold." Suggested Franziska.

"YEAH!" Everyone shouted in glee.

The next day, after many farewells, Team Banshee set out for Seafoam Sea. They hitched a ride on a kind Lapras to the dungeon, which was located a couple miles offshore.

**Seafoam Sea**

"Wow, the water's so clear I can see the bottom!" Carys exclaimed.

"It's so…green." Remarked Ezra, staring at the water.

"The seagreen Seafoam Sea by the seashore?" Carys said mischievously.

"Oh boy..." Ezra muttered.

"Here you two are. Have a nice time." Lapras said kindly.

"Thanks ever so much for taking us out here." Ezra said, hugging her neck.

"No problem! Well, off you go!" Lapras said as the two jumped down into the dungeon.

**B1F**

"Oooh, the water's so warm!" Ezra exclaimed. The shallow tide she was standing in was oddly heated for being out on the ocean.

"Maybe we're near an underwater volcano." Suggested Carys.

"Possibly. Well, heated water or no, let's not stay too long in this water-logged dungeon." Ezra winced as they got going.

The walls of the dungeon appeared to be made of smooth coral, and deeper water could be found everywhere. Ezra didn't dare dive into the darker water, for fear of losing the flame on her head. The shallow water was the same seagreen color as it was outside, and the deeper water was merely a deeper shade of the color. Presently the two came to meet a Corsola floating atop the deeper water's surface.

"You deal with it." Ezra placed Carys in front of her and stood back to let them fight.

"Uh, okay…? Erm, Razor Leaf?" Carys said, sending the leaves out.

The Corsola dodged by ducking under the water. It taunted her by using Water Gun directly onto her face.

"Waah! Hey! Stop that! Have a Gravelrock!" Carys stormed, sending a stone onto the Corsola.

She took advantage of the Corsola becoming dazed to use another Razor Leaf. This time, it was successful, and the Corsola fell to the floor.

"Nice job!" Smiled Ezra.

**B2F**

"What do you think Meloetta meant by saying 'Azelf is the Being of Willpower'? Asked Carys, picking up a Chesto Berry.

"I don't know. I've no idea what willpower has to do with a puzzle." Shrugged Ezra.

"Maybe we have to refrain from putting in the last piece, no matter how tempting it is." Suggested Carys.

"I don't think Meloetta meant _that_ kind of puzzle." Ezra rebuked.

"You never know." Carys said defensively.

**B3F**

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-_*snort*_-HAHAHAHAH!" Carys doubled over with laughter.

Ezra had spawned right on top of the Stairs.

**B4F**

"Hee hee…hee." Carys was still giggling.

"Here, take this Green Gummi and hush. Tell me what it tastes like." Ordered Ezra, stuffing the Gummi she just found into Carys's mouth. Like usual, she swallowed it whole.

"Did you want me to hush, or tell you what it tasted like? 'Cause those orders totally contradict each other." Carys replied snarkily.

"Taste." Replied Ezra.

"Parsley. Which makes sense, since bug-types love to eat plants." Reported Carys.

"Not watermelon?" Ezra asked cheekily.

"ENOUGH with Blue Gummis!" Carys roared, half-serious.

**B5F**

They had been travelling down a particularly long hall when a Remoraid approached Ezra menacingly.

"Caryysss!" She wailed.

"Nope, not doing it. Face your fears, girl!" Carys demanded.

"Carys!" Ezra protested.

"You can do it." Carys said, popping a piece of taffy into her mouth.

"Argh. Alright. Have a Stick, Remoraid!" Ezra yelled, sending one down the hall to pierce the Remoraid.

It still continued forward. Ezra sent multiple Sticks after it, and the Remoraid continued to swim forward. Finally, one regular attack from Ezra put it out of its misery.

"That was strange. It just kept coming forward, even though I was hitting it." She frowned.

"These dungeon Pokemon are known to have one-track minds. It's horrible, isn't it?" Carys frowned in compassion.

"It really is." Ezra nodded soberly.

**B6F**

Ezra and Carys didn't say much during their trek on this floor, as the battle from the previous floor left them feeling sad about the suicidal dungeon dwellers. They picked up items wordlessly, and luckily they didn't have to fight any Pokemon.

**B7F**

"Here are the Stairs." Ezra said.

**B8F**

They found themselves surrounded by a Lileep, a Corsola, and a Staryu. Whatever feelings they had about the Remoraid were put aside, as these three enemies showed no signs of mercy.

"I'll take the Lileep in front of me. You take the Staryu, and we'll hope that the Corsola doesn't attack you." Said Carys as the three drew closer.

"Right." Ezra nodded.

"Razor Leaf!" Carys began, one-shotting the Lileep.

"Astonish!" Cried Ezra to the Staryu. Unfortunately, she missed.

Luckily, the Corsola attacked Carys with a Rock Blast, which she shrugged off without difficulty. The Staryu attacking Ezra used Water Gun, and the air was knocked out of her lungs.

"Oof! Ugh, I hate water! Hex!" She stormed, hitting the Staryu this time. It fell.

"Shadow Sneak!" Carys said , her shadow knocking the Corsola out.

"Job well done." Carys beamed after the fight.

"I'll say." Agreed Ezra.

**B9F**

"Here's a seed I've never seen before. What it is?" Asked Ezra, holding up a large black seed.

"I've no idea. Try it." Carys suggested.

Ezra did, and nearly leapt out of her wax when Poke starting appearing everywhere in the chamber.

"Waah!" She screamed.

"Ooh, a Dough Seed! Nice! Those things make money appear when you eat it." Laughed Carys.

"O-Okay…That's really strange. Huh. Today I learned." Ezra commented.

**B10**

"Astonish!" Yelled Ezra, in the middle of fighting a Remoraid. Luckily, her last attack had weakened it to the point where her Astonish knocked it out. It dropped a large black seed.

"Hey, here's another Dough Seed!" She laughed, eating it.

Strangely, though, she immediately felt queasy and light-headed.

"Ezra!" Carys exclaimed.

"Ohhh, I don't feel so good." Ezra moaned, sitting down. She was starting to see double.

"That must've been a Doom Seed that you ate. I forgot, they look exactly like Dough Seeds. Don't worry, the effects are temporary. Have an Oran Berry." Carys gave her a Berry.

She ate it. While she felt slightly better, she didn't feel fully refreshed.

"You take it easy until you feel better. I'll handle the battling." Carys suggested gently. Ezra nodded gratefully.

After some time, she felt healthy again.

"I feel just fine now, but I'd rather not battle until my stomach has rested for a bit. I don't think I'll be eating any large black seeds again." She winced.

"Good call. We'll just hold on to any we find until someone back home can give us a yay or nay." Agreed Carys.

**B11F**

"You what's nice? Stairs. And look, here they are!" Laughed Carys.

**Seafoam Seabed**

They came suddenly to a shallow tidepool that slowly led up to a beach and more rocky terrain. The ground was also more noticeably warmer, and marred with burn marks.

"We've got to be near a volcano or something. See those steam vents? I bet you that's from magma." Gestured Carys.

Indeed, piping hot steam rose from cracks in the rocks. No doubt the pressure of the steam created those holes.

"I can see a path in that outcropping!" Ezra pointed.

A large rock wall lay up ahead, with a huge entrance in the middle. No doubt this was the entrance to the Scorched Cape. And between them and the entrance were millions of…

"Jewels!" Screamed Carys. "There are tons of gems here! Ezzie! We're rich! _We're so freaking rich!_ I'm gonna buy my own candy factory, hundreds of workers, my own soda fountain—made of gelatin, of course—and…"

While Carys was babbling, Ezra was thinking hard. The entrance lay right in front of them, yet Meloetta had said there would be a puzzle. Could she have been wrong…?

Ezra considered the facts on hand. They were near a volcano. They were going to Scorched Cape. There was a puzzle hidden somewhere. Azelf was the Being of Willpower…Suddenly, the answer came to her just as Carys went to grab a three-foot tall diamond.

"CARYS!" She screamed in terror. Carys nearly fainted.

"What?" She asked, terrified, about to pick up the gem.

"Don't touch the gems. _Any_ of them." Ezra warned.

"Why? What do you have against untold riches?" Carys pouted.

"It's the puzzle! It has to do with willpower, 'cause Azelf is the Being of Willpower! I think that if we touch any of the gems, the volcano will erupt. So, we have to exercise our will and not touch the jewels even though they're worth a fortune." Ezra explained. Carys paused, thinking.

"Think about it: The entrance to the Cape is right there, yet there's no visible puzzle. But, there are hundreds of jewels, which are worth a tremendous amount of money. We have to use willpower and not take any gems. If we break our will, then we'll have failed the puzzle!" Ezra went on.

"…As much as I hate to say it, it does make a lot of sense. All right, we won't take anything, lest we be Scorched like the Cape." Carys sighed.

"Once we get to Azelf, I'll ask if we can take any without harm." Ezra reassured. Carys brightened.

"Well what are you waiting for?! We have a Being to demand gems from!" She laughed, heading inside the dungeon.

"That's not why we're here!" Ezra called after her.

**The next post will contain: A waypoint, a misunderstanding, and a location.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Scorched Cape**

**B1F**

"What are you going to buy with your gem money?" Asked Carys.

"We don't even know if Azelf will give us one. Besides, it's rude to just barge in on someone's home and demand that you take something of theirs. What if someone came into our room and took your candy stash in the top shelf on our desk?" Retorted Ezra.

"…Okay, you have a point. Wait, how did you know about my secret candy stash?" Demanded Carys, suspicious.

"I didn't." Replied Ezra.

"…You're good."

**B2F**

"Ooh, I hope no one comes and steals a gem back there. I'd hate to be in here when the volcano explodes." Carys shuddered, looking at the burn marks and steam vents on the walls.

"Don't think of such things! Now _I'm_ worried that someone will swipe a gem!" Exclaimed Ezra, looking behind her shoulder as if someone were about to trigger the trap.

"Will this Red Gummi make up for it? I don't want it; cinnamon isn't my favorite unless it's cinnamon candy." Carys stuck her tongue out in distaste as she handed Ezra the Gummi.

"Thanks." Said Ezra as she ate the Gummi slowly, savoring the spicy flavor.

Presently they came across a Krabby. Ezra traded regular attacks with it as Carys lobbed Gravelrocks from behind.

"Uh oh, we're all outta Gravelrocks!" Carys informed a moment later.

"Ember! Aww. I guess we'll just have to find some more then." Said Ezra, defeating the Krabby.

"Maybe my Pickup Ability will save us." Said Carys.

"Possibly. Gravelrocks aren't that rare, so we're bound to find some soon." Shrugged Ezra.

"You're no fun." Pouted Carys.

**B3F**

"Hey, these halls are dark! I can barely see!" Exclaimed Carys. The hall they had entered had very low visibility.

"Here, let me help." Said Ezra, willing her flame to grow. The increase of heat and light told her that she had succeeded.

"You look kinda scary with your flame bigger than your whole body like that. But, it does give us more light, so it's alright! Hey, that rhymed!" Beamed Carys.

"Careful you don't get singed on it up there." Warned Ezra.

"Don't worry, Ez. 'Careful' is my middle name!" Dismissed Carys.

"Carys Careful Pumpkaboo?" Asked Ezra, laughing.

"Hush! You know what I mean!

**B4F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"I love it when the sun is extra bright." Ezra sighed in bliss.

"This Charmander likes it too. I'm staying out of this fire fight." Said Carys, moving back away from the two fire-types.

"Ember!" Sang Ezra, relishing the extra-hot feel of her fiery attacks.

The Charmander shrugged it off and sent out a Flamethrower. Ezra couldn't dodge in time and was bathed in flames. Oddly, though, she wasn't taking a bit of damage. In fact, she felt herself getting even _stronger_! Instinct told her to use a fire-type move.

"Flame Burst!" She shouted, chucking a large volley of fire at the Charmander, who fainted instantly.

"I feel so…strong. It's amazing." She beamed at Carys.

"Extra sun plus Flash Fire? I'd say you're pretty decked out right now, Ez." Commented Carys.

"Is that what's making me feel so good?" Asked Ezra.

"Flash Fire buffs up your fire-type moves whenever you get hit by a fire attack." Explained Carys.

"I love it." Ezra said with relish.

**B5F**

"No sun this time, but we have Stairs with us." Observed Carys.

**B6F**

"I wonder what Azelf is like." Commented Carys while eating an apple.

"He's the Being of Willpower, so I guess his will is unbreakable." Hypothesized Ezra.

"Maybe he's the warrior type because of his will." Added Carys.

"Quite possibly." Agreed Ezra.

"Mister Wooper! Do you know what Azelf is like?" Inquired Carys to a Wooper that was coming to face them. In response, it Mud Shot Carys.

"Ahh! I've got mud in my eyes! Ez, do something!" Wailed Carys as she tried to clear her eyes.

"On it! Hex!" Exclaimed Ezra, sending the purple haze onto the Wooper. It shuddered, and promptly fainted.

"Alright, I'm good. Stupid Wooper, all I did was ask it a question." Carys pouted.

"Maybe it's not the question-answering type. You should try asking Sora." Said Ezra.

"But he's not here." Carys pointed out.

"Then you'll have to wait."

"Aww…"

**B7F**

"What rhymes with 'bears the glares'?" Asked Carys.

"What?" Replied Ezra.

"There's the Stairs!"

—**Waypoint—**

They arrived in a room they had never encountered before. There was a large gray rock shaped like a Kangaskhan, and the path continued ahead.

"Where are we?" Asked Ezra.

"This must be one of those waypoints that Meloetta was talking about. I guess we should touch the rock." Shrugged Carys.

Hesitatingly, Ezra tapped the rock. To her astonishment, it glowed for a second, then went still.

"…Is that it?" She asked after a second.

"I guess. Well, do you want to continue, or call it for the day?" Asked Carys.

"Continue, all the way." Ezra said.

"Alrighty, off we go~!" Carys trilled as they moved on.

**Lower Scorched Cape**

**B1F**

"I wonder why waypoints exist. We only traveled through like, seven floors. The other dungeons we've been to have had way more than seven in them." Wondered Carys.

"I was talking to Meloetta about them more when you were out binging on candy last night. She said that waypoints usually indicate valuable treasure or a boss battle at the end." Explained Ezra.

"Wait, so we're going to have to fight Azelf? Oh my, I don't think we can defeat an uber-legendary Pokemon like him." Fretted Carys.

"I'm sure he's a reasonable Pokemon, and won't attack us without hearing our pleas." Reassured Ezra.

"I hope so." Carys said vehemently.

**B2F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Extra sun is wonderful!" Beamed Ezra, basking in the sunlight.

"Enemy Charmeleon at 12 o'clock!" Reported Carys.

"I'll give it a Flame Burst!" Ezra laughed, sending the ball of fire onto the other fire-type. It fell to its knees, but managed to stand. A red aura pulsed around it for a second, then disappeared.

"What's that glow?" Asked Ezra.

"Charmeleon's Ability, Blaze. It powers up its fire-type attacks when its health is low." Explained Carys from the other side of the chamber. She wanted no part of this particular fight.

The Charmeleon unleashed a devastating Flamethrower. Powered by both the sun and Blaze, it was four times its normal power. No lesser Pokemon could've stood a chance. But Ezra was no lesser Pokemon. She absorbed the fiery bath, and transferred the power to the flame on her head. She felt it rise higher and higher.

"Nice try," she said to her foe "but I'm better than you. Have a taste of my Ember!" She sent out thousands of molten-hot embers onto the weakened Charmeleon. It didn't stand a chance.

"You're kinda scary sometimes, you know." Carys said in a small voice, joining Ezra.

"Fire is scary." Ezra replied, enjoying the taste of immense power. "When will my flame die down?"

"When we go to the next floor, I guess." Shrugged Carys.

"Probably for the best. I'm enjoying this power a little _too_ much." Ezra said after a moment. Power felt wonderful, but she didn't want to lose control of herself.

"Not many Pokemon would say that, you know." Said Carys with real respect. "I'm glad you're on the good side, Ez."

"I am too."

**B3F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Aww, the Stairs are here with us." Ezra pouted.

"Shh, the legendaries don't like to hear such unnatural talk." Whispered Carys.

**B4F**

"No sun? Aww." Ezra frowned.

"I thought you said you didn't want the power to go to your head." Protested Carys.

"I don't, but I like being bathed in sunshine." Shugged Ezra.

"But you're a candle; you'd think you'd prefer darkness better." Observed Carys.

"I provide light, so of course I enjoy the sun. I don't like darkness unless I can dispel it with my light." Ezra said metaphorically.

"Ugh, I never was one for philosophy. I like problems that have one clear solution, which is why I studied math." Carys shook her head.

"But some math problems have more than one solution." Rebuked Ezra.

"Yes, but although there are many different ways to get to the solution or solutions, it still comes out to be either right or wrong, with no gray middle. …Does that make any sense?" Asked Carys.

"A little bit, but I get what you're trying to say. Fair enough." Ezra shrugged.

**B5F**

"Is it just me, or are the Pokemon here stronger than the ones before the waypoint?" Carys winced after a particularly nasty fight with a Quagsire and a Macargo.

"Yeah, they seem…different. And evolved." Ezra added, eating an Oran Berry. "By the way, how does evolution work?"

"From what I've heard, you go to a mystical place called Luminous Spring when you're strong enough, and you evolve. Once you evolve, you can't go back to your previous form. Some Pokemon—like me—have to hold certain items in order to evolve. But, thanks to the ripping world, Luminous Spring isn't working, so we can't evolve anymore." Explained Carys.

"What do you evolve into? And I, for that matter." Asked Ezra.

"When I hold a Link Cable, I evolve into Gorgeist. We'll probably encounter one sooner or later. You evolve into Lampent, then Chandelure when you hold a Dusk Stone." Explained Carys.

"Hmm, I see." Said Ezra. She thought about turning into a Lampent. She'd be a lantern instead of a candle. And if she became a Chandelure, she'd be a chandelier. No matter what her form, she'd be providing light to those who needed it. It was a comforting thought.

**B6F**

There was a Krabby and a Magby guarding the Stairs.

"I have Krabby, you have Magby?" Asked Carys as the two prepared to fight.

"Sounds like a plan." Nodded Ezra.

"Stun Seed!" Yelled Carys, throwing the seed at Krabby. It instantly went rigid, paralyzed.

"Hex!" Said Ezra, sending out the familiar wave of purple energy at the Magby. It fell.

"Confuse Ray!" Grinned Carys, her twirling lights confusing the Krabby. It went to use a regular attack on her, but instead hit Ezra.

"Ow!" She cried as the Krabby hit her head. It suddenly jumped back, singed.

"Hey, your Flame Body burned it!" Said Carys.

"It certainly deserved that." Grumbled Ezra, nursing her aching head.

"Razor Leaf! There, I avenged you." Carys beamed as the Krabby fell.

"Whatever would I do without you?" Ezra joked.

**Scorched Cape Lake**

They entered a vast room. A giant lake lay near the shore, and the steam vents were noticeably larger and hotter.

"We must be right next to the volcano. And look at that lake! I can't even see the other side!" Marveled Ezra.

"This must be the deepest part of the dungeon. I wonder where Azelf is." Wondered Carys, looking around.

"Um, excuse me, but you're trespassing." An unknown voice came from seemingly nowhere.

"Someone's there! Um, sorry about that, but we're looking for Azelf. Once we talk to him, we'll leave." Called Carys.

"You're looking for Azelf? …I see. Well then, allow me to introduce myself!" With that proclamation, a tiny figure suddenly emerged from the lake. It was mainly gray, with a blue head and two tails with red gems set in the middle. It had to be Azelf.

"So, your wretched master has finally demanded my alliance, eh?" Azelf frowned.

"What are you talking about?" Asked Ezra to the floating legendary.

"Don't play dumb! I know that you're here to spirit me and my siblings away to your hideout. Well, we say no! We're not joining you, and nothing you say will convince me otherwise!" He snarled. His tails were twitching in anger.

"What's he talking about?" Whispered Carys to Ezra.

"He thinks we're someone else. We might have to fight him." Ezra whispered back.

"'Fight him', you say? Well, if it's a fight you want, then a fight you'll get!" He shouted.

**Boss Battle!**

"W-Wait! We don't want to fight!" Exclaimed Ezra.

"Silence! I don't want to hear your lies!" Azelf shouted. He glowed blue for a second.

"Argh! Not Future Sight!" Groaned Ezra, remembering the fight with Celebi.

"I didn't want to have to fight him, but it looks like we've got no choice! Ezra, our ghost-type moves will do the most damage to him. He's a psychic-type." Carys explained to Ezra.

"Very well. Hex!" Shouted Ezra, but Azelf was quick to dodge.

"Shadow Sneak!" Tried Carys. Her attack grazed the dodging Azelf.

"Argh! He's too fast! Hmm…Carys! Remember Scizor?" Asked Ezra.

"Same plan?" Answered Carys.

"Same plan." Nodded Ezra.

"I don't know what you two are talking about, but you won't win! Extrasensory!" Cried Azelf, sending a rainbow-colored beam from his forehead.

Ezra was knocked off her feet.

"You okay?" Asked Carys, concerned.

"Y-yeah. He's…strong." Gritted Ezra, getting up. The Future Sight immediately struck her, knocking her out before being revitalized.

"Oh how was that fair?" She demanded angrily.

"You came prepared, I see. No matter, I can easily knock you out until you run out of Reviver Seeds." Taunted Azelf from nearby.

"We have four left." Carys whispered to Ezra.

"We have to tie him down; otherwise he'll annihilate us with his attacks." Said Ezra.

"On it. Have a seed, Azelf!" Yelled Carys, throwing an X-Eye Seed at the legendary. His eyes became cross-eyed, and he wandered around the floor, dazed.

"Now's our chance, Carys! Hex!" Cried Ezra.

"Yup yup! Confuse Ray!" Added Carys, confusing Azelf.

"Then a Sleep Seed!" Yelled Ezra. Unfortunately, she missed, and the seed fell into the water.

"Oops. Oh well. Razor Leaf!" Sang Carys.

"Then Flame Burst!" Added Ezra.

"Follow up with a Shadow Sneak!" But Azelf snapped out of the status effects, and dodged the last attack.

"I'll admit, that was a good strategy. But how will you like my Explosion?" He grinned wickedly.

"Do it! I dare you." Challenged Carys.

"Carys!" Ezra protested. She knew that Explosion was one of the most powerful attacks in the universe.

Azelf laughed. "You're on!" He said, glowing white. Ezra braced herself for the attack, but when it came, she found she wasn't that badly hurt.

"Normal-type moves barely affect ghost-types." Carys said smugly.

"Argh! I had forgotten about that!" Azelf screamed with rage.

"So _that's_ why you weren't frightened." Ezra said to Carys, amazed.

"No matter! You two are still vulnerable to my Extrasensory!" Azelf resolved, striking Carys mercilessly.

"Carys! Flame Burst!" Yelled Ezra, avenging her friend. But Azelf was once again quick to dodge.

"Why's he so jumpy about taking damage?" Ezra asked, staring Azelf down.

"His attacks are all about tremendous power…I got it! His attacks are super-powerful, but he doesn't have a lot of defense, so he dodges in order to make up for his low stamina." Theorized Carys.

"I bet you that's exactly it. Okay, so, how do we fight him if he's just going to dodge? I'm sure he's watching out for our seeds and your Confuse Ray, so the Scizor plan is out." Ezra frowned.

"I guess we just keep attacking and hope we can hit him." Shrugged Carys.

"What's the matter over there? Finally realizing that you won't win?" Taunted Azelf, smirking.

"No, we're just going our favorite recipes!" Called Ezra, trying a new tactic.

"What?" Said Azelf, confused.

"Yeah, you know what the Litwick Special's secret ingredient is?" Chimed Carys.

"It's a Flame Burst!" Answered Ezra, surprising the confused Azelf with her attack.

"Ahh!" He shrieked, backing away.

"Astonish!" Yelled Carys, charging at Azelf. But he recovered from his surprise, and deftly dodged.

"Extrasensory!" He countered, knocking Carys out.

"Carys!" Ezra cried as her friend was revived.

"Tch, will you two not quit already?" Azelf frowned.

"Getting tired of our shenanigans?" Panted Carys.

"Never! Future Sight!" Stormed Azelf.

"Confuse Ray!" Carys said quickly, taking advantage of the glowing Azelf.

"Nice job! Let's finish him off! Ember!" Cheered Ezra, knocking Azelf into a corner of the wall.

"Shadow Sneak!" Added Carys, trapping the Willpower Pokemon against the wall.

"Hex!"

"Last Resort!" Said Azelf, snapping out of his confusion.

"What?" Team Banshee exclaimed as Azelf brutally sent them flying across the chamber. They landed painfully against the opposite wall.

"Ahh…ahh." Moaned Ezra.

"That wasn't nice." Winced Carys.

But Azelf was wounded too. His attacks, coupled with Team Banshee's, had left him exhausted and wounded. Clearly, he was better suited to quick victories than long, drawn-out battles. He fell to the ground.

"No! I…will not…falter!" He said, gritting his teeth as he tried to rise.

"We're not here to fight, Azelf. Meloetta of Team Siren sent us here to ask you if you knew where Uxie lives." Pleaded Ezra, trying to stand but failing.

"M-Meloetta sent you? To find Uxie?" Asked Azelf, confused.

"We are Ezra and Carys of Team Banshee. We're an exploration team. We learned about the planet's destruction, so we wanted to ask Uxie if he knew what was causing it and how to stop it. We also wanted to ask him if he erased Ezra's memory, 'cause she doesn't remember anything about her past, save that she was a human, Meloetta didn't know where he lived, so we came to ask you. Please, Azelf, we truly mean you no harm. We only attacked because you did." Chimed Carys.

"Is…Is this true?" Azelf wondered, coming over to them.

"Here's our badge." Ezra tossed her badge to Azelf. He looked at it for a few seconds before giving it back to Ezra.

"Your words are true, and I can see your will to find the answers you seek. I am to blame for this unnecessary battle. Please, accept my most humble apologies." He bowed deeply.

Suddenly, his Future Sight arrived, and headed straight towards the trio. Ezra and Carys screamed, but Azelf held out a hand, and it stopped suddenly, inches away from the three. Another flick of his hand, and the attack dissipated.

"T-Thank you, Azelf. Here, have an Oran Berry." Said Carys, handing both Azelf and Ezra a Berry before eating one herself. After everyone was healed, Azelf helped them up.

"I cannot express how horrified I am at my behavior. It was unseemly of me." He apologized. "Lately, Pokemon from the dark side have been disturbing the slumber of me and my siblings. We've had to protect ourselves more and more. We've been afraid that the leader of the Dark will send envoys to demand our allegiance to him, so that is why I thought you two to be messengers of the Dark when you arrived." He explained sadly.

"So you're on the side of Good?" Asked Ezra.

"We are, but we have declared neutrality, to protect the one who needs help most." Azelf said cryptically.

"What do you mean?" Wondered Carys.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot explain further, for fear of endangering the life of the very Pokemon I mentioned before. Please forgive me." Azelf bowed.

"Oh. Uh, alright." Said Ezra.

"You wanted to know where my brother Uxie lives, yes? Because the Shiny Litwick here was once a human?" He asked.

"Yes." Carys nodded.

"I haven't heard of my brother doing anything of the sort, but I could be mistaken. He lives in a dungeon called Hidden Cove. You can get to it via Divine Shore, which is northwest of this place. You'll have to solve a puzzle that will test your mind in order to access Hidden Cove, however." Azelf warned.

"Speaking of puzzles, did we solve yours?" Asked Carys.

"The test of will? Yes, you did. Touching any of the gems between Seafoam Sea and Scorched Cape will cause the volcano under this chamber to erupt violently." Azelf confirmed.

"So we can't take _any_ of the gems?" Carys asked wistfully.

"No, Carys. I am sorry." Azelf said gently.

"It's alright." She sighed.

"How is Meloetta? I haven't seen her for quite some time." Inquired Azelf.

"She's just fine. She and her team have been very helpful to us." Responded Ezra.

"That's good to hear. Well, I wish you two luck on your journey. I will contact Uxie via telepathy to let him know you're coming, and not to attack you." Said Azelf.

"That would be fantastic. Thanks, Azelf." Ezra said warmly.

"Farewell, Team Banshee. Let us meet again soon." Azelf waved as they left the dungeon.

**The next post shall have: A chilling revelation, a new dungeon, and a riddle.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Snow days are fun, but they leave me with nothing to do. So enjoy the double post! **

**Lily Town**

Much like the previous day, Ezra and Carys came home to everyone and Sora converging in the commons room in Rose's Lofts. They seemed to be murmuring worriedly to each other.

"What's going on here?" Asked Carys.

"Oh, Team Banshee. Hello." Said Rose distractedly, turning towards them.

"We've gotten some chilling news." Said Ivysaur in greeting.

"Like what?" Asked Ezra.

"Allow me to narrate. Team Triple S here was kind enough to escort me to my most beloved sister today. We've just returned. Anyway, me and my twin spoke at length about her conversation with you two. We then combined our psychic powers and, for the briefest moment, we were able to surpass the block that ailed my dear sister." Sora narrated.

"You _did?! _Well, go on!" Carys exclaimed impatiently.

"You remember how the Light has chosen a Champion, yes? Well, before we were blocked once again, we discovered that the Dark has chosen a Champion as well." Sora said grimly.

"Wait. So, you're telling me that while we have a Champion, the evil side has a Chosen One as well?" Demanded Carys, horrified.

"Yes. It is the destiny of the Light's Chosen to bring the world back to balance, and it is the destiny of the Dark's Chosen to brutally end the Light's Chosen. Only one will succeed in their quest. But, my sister and I are confident that our Champion will succeed." Sora bowed, with an odd look at Ezra.

"Oh…my." Said Ezra, feeling numb with horror. It was bad enough that war was looming, but now it was possible that the Light's Champion would fail?

"Do you…do you know who the Dark's Chosen One is?" Carys asked doubtfully.

"Nay, we did not get the chance to learn. Our breach was quickly discovered, and we were rapidly expunged." Sora shook his head regretfully.

"I need some good news after all that. Did you two find Azelf?" Sighed Meloetta to Ezra and Carys.

"We did. He told us Uxie lives in Hidden Cove, which is accessible by a place called Divine Shore." Ezra answered.

"Divine Shore? That's pretty far north. Here, let me show you guys." Ranna took out her map and showed it to Team Banshee.

"We are here," she said, pointing to where Lily Town was located, "and Divine Shore is up north, right here." She pointed her finger to a spot near the top of the continent.

"Thank you." Ezra nodded. "It's pretty late, so tomorrow we'll go visit Uxie."

_The next day…_

Ezra and Carys immediately set off for Divine Shore after breakfast. It took them some time to traverse the vast amounts to land between Lily Town and Divine Shore. But they trekked on, determined to find Uxie.

**Divine Shore**

They finally arrived in the midafternoon. The entrance to the dungeon lay on a large strip of pleasant beach. Although quite chilly, the sand was spotless and the water crystal clear.

"Well, here we are," Said Carys. "Let's get going, so we can return home by nightfall."

"Yeah." Ezra nodded.

**B1F**

The dungeon floors were made of soft sand, and the walls packed earth. Pools of deep water were scattered here and there throughout the chamber.

"Ooh, it is _cold _here!" Carys shivered.

"I'm not cold at all." Ezra replied.

"That's because you're a fire-type. Ah, what I wouldn't give to be part fire-type right now." Carys said wistfully.

"I can Flame Burst you if you want." Ezra said mischievously.

"NO!" Carys shrieked.

"But I thought you wanted to be warm!" Ezra continued, laughing.

"That's fine; I'm not cold anymore." Carys said quickly.

Ezra laughed.

**B2F**

"Who do you think Azelf meant by when he said he couldn't tell us anything for fear of endangering someone?" Asked Carys.

"I dunno. I haven't heard of anyone who desperately needs help. Maybe Arceus?" Suggested Ezra.

"Don't be ridiculous! Arceus is the Original One; it doesn't bow to the likes of anyone! It would never stoop so low as to ask the help of a mere mortal!" Exclaimed Carys.

"Okay, okay! Sheesh. Calm down." Ezra said.

**B3F**

A lone Marill came to fight them in a corridor.

"You got this, or do you need me to help?" Asked Carys from behind.

"I got it. Hex!" Shouted Ezra. The Marill dodged by diving into an adjacent pool of water. It then proceeded to use Double-Edge on Ezra, but luckily she wasn't too badly hurt.

"I'm a ghost-type, idiot!" She exclaimed, annoyed by the love tap. "Astonish!" This time, the Marill was hit, and it fell.

"Someone really needs to educate the Pokemon in here." Ezra sighed to Carys.

"No they don't. By not understanding type matchups, they're doing half the work for us!" Carys said back.

"…I guess, but there's not much fun in these simple battles. At least with Celebi, Scizor, Team Renegade, and Azelf we had to actually _think_." Ezra shrugged.

**B4F**

"Stairs." Ezra said instantly the moment they spawned.

**B5F**

"Who do you think the Champion of Darkness is?" Wondered Ezra.

"Probably the Pokemon behind all the natural disasters." Replied Carys. "What do you think, Mister Shellder?" She said to an enemy Shellder that was approaching them in the hall. "Do you think the—oww! Don't Brine me! Razor Leaf!" She stormed, taking a hit.

"Add a Gravelrock to the mix!" Laughed Ezra, knocking the Shellder out with a hit from a Gravelrock. A Horsea came to replace the fallen Shellder.

"You want some too? Have a Shadow Sneak!" Yelled Carys, one-shotting the little water-type.

"Easy there, Carys." Said Ezra.

"Hmph." Was all Carys said, but she did settle down.

**B6F**

"I found an Orb." Called Carys.

"Oh yeah?" Said Ezra, coming over.

The Orb was blue with a snowflake on it.

"Ooh, I bet you it makes it snow!" Gushed Carys.

"Break it!" Encouraged Ezra.

Carys did, and clouds swirled from the broken shards and into the sky, which immediately darkened. Precipitation did fall, but it wasn't the kind that they wanted.

"Owww! It's hail! And it hurts!" Wailed Carys.

"Ugh, that must've been a Hail Orb!" Winced Ezra, trying to protect her head from the apple-sized hail.

"Let's get to the Stairs, and quick!" Carys suggested.

"Good idea. Let's go!" Cried Ezra as the two ran for the Stairs.

**B7F**

"Oh good, there's no hail." Winced Carys, nursing a large bruise on her head.

"Clear weather is always nice." Affirmed Ezra.

"You know what else is nice? Stairs. And look, here they are!" Grinned Carys.

**B8F**

"Azelf said we had to go through a test of knowledge, right? I wonder what it'll be." Carys was saying as they traversed through the dungeon.

"It could mean so many things. We simply won't know until we get to the end of the dungeon." Replied Ezra.

"I'm glad Azelf's sending a message to Uxie about us. It was hard enough fighting him yesterday; I don't know if I could fight another Lake Trio member so soon." Said Carys.

"There's a third member of the Trio, right? Who's that?" Asked Ezra.

"Mesprit, the Being of Emotion. She gave Pokemon the gift of feelings, and is said to be a master empath." Explained Carys.

"Empath?" Said Ezra, trying out the unfamiliar word.

"An empath is someone who can psychically detect and interpret the emotions of others. Many Pokemon have empathy for others, but empaths actively _feel_ the emotions of others. They can even detect the thoughts behind those emotions, and can sometimes transfer emotions to others." Explained Carys.

"Huh, I never knew there was such a thing." Ezra said, amazed.

"It's pretty rare, from what I've heard." Shrugged Carys. "It's still pretty awesome, though."

**B9F**

They had the misfortune to spawn in a room with four enemy Pokemon. They were surrounded on all sides by a Marill, a Shellder, a Seel, and a Wingull.

"I'll use Confuse Ray on Marill. You throw a Sleep Seed at Shellder. We'll just tank the blows from the other two." Said Carys.

"Right." Nodded Ezra.

"Confuse Ray!" Shouted Carys.

"Sleep Seed!" Added Ezra. That was two enemies temporarily neutralized.

The Seel used Aurora Beam on Carys.

"Owwww! That hurt, and you lowered my attack! How rude!" She glared.

The Wingull used Water Pulse on Ezra. For some odd reason, she suddenly didn't know what was up and what was down. She saw a faint blur, and tried to use Ember.

"Ezra!" She heard Carys's voice, far away.

She was very dizzy, and promptly sat down. Presently, the dizziness went away, and her vision returned. She blinked in surprise. She and Carys were all alone, when there were originally four others.

"What happened?" She exclaimed.

"You got confused. I knocked out the enemy Pokemon while you were busy wandering around. Are you okay?" Fretted Carys.

"That's what confusion feels like? …Oh. Ah, I'm fine now, thanks." Nodded Ezra, getting up and continuing.

**B10F**

"So what did being confused feel like?" Asked Carys.

"I was dizzy, and I couldn't see a thing." Replied Ezra, shuddering at the recent memory.

"Huh. So that's how the victims of my Confuse Ray feel. Hm." Said Carys, thinking.

"You could use Confuse Ray on yourself and find out firsthand." Suggested Ezra wickedly.

"Nah, I'm good." Carys dismissed.

**B11F**

"Stairs are nice." Said Carys.

**Divine Shoreline**

They exited the dungeon to find a small slice of beach with multiple cave entrances.

"One of these passageways must lead to Hidden Cove. But which one…?" Pondered Ezra.

"There's a statue in the middle." Gestured Carys.

In the middle of the beach was a small, black, rectangular-shaped statue. Upon closer inspection, there was writing on the top.

"'I can be the sun. I can be the sand. I can be a bird. What am I?'" Read Ezra.

"This must be the puzzle. But how do we solve it?" She asked.

"Hey, there are paintings above each entryway!" Said Carys.

Indeed, above each of the seven cave entrances was a small picture. From left to right, the pictures indicated were: a chair, an apple, a Pichu, a clock, a blue square, a tree, and a flame.

"It seems we have to solve a riddle, and the pictures are our answer choices." Said Ezra.

"I guess, but none of the answers fit the riddle!" Protested Carys.

"Maybe not at first, but I'm sure if we break each of the answers down we'll find the answer." Replied Ezra.

"If you say so. Uh…Let's see. The sand can be a chair, I guess, and a chair can be painted bright like the sun. But I don't see how it can be a bird." Frowned Carys.

"You can draw an apple in the sand, but it's neither a bird nor the sun. A Pichu can also be drawn in the sand, and I guess its electricity can be a kind of sun, but it's most certainly not a bird." Continued Ezra.

"As for the clock, hmm…There are hourglasses. Those have sand." Said Carys.

"And cuckoo clocks have a bird." Added Ezra, brightening with realization.

"And sundials use the sun!" Beamed Carys.

"A clock it is. Let us be off, shall we? We're finally getting some answers." Smiled Ezra.

"We're not leaving until we find out more about the great evil approaching, and about your past, Ezzie." Promised Carys as they entered the cave with the clock painted on top of it.

**Hidden Cove**

**B1F**

"What are you going to do after you find out about your past?" Asked Carys in a small voice.

"I'm not sure. I'd like to know why I was brought here, for one. But…after I get my answers, I plan on sticking around for a bit." Ezra said after some thought.

"Why so?" Asked Carys.

"Well, this world is being threatened with evil, right? I'm not just going to up and leave in the middle of a crisis. If I can help in some way until the world is saved, then I'm definitely going to do so. I'm not leaving anytime soon, Carys. Were you afraid I was going to?" Ezra asked. She took her friend's silence as confirmation.

"Oh, Carys. I'm not going to leave you. Ever." She said softly, embracing her best friend.

"You'd better not." Carys replied, her eyes bright with tears.

"I won't." Ezra promised.

**B2F-B5F**

They spent the next few floors in relative silence, basking in their deep and loyal friendship. Ezra knew deep in her heart that she would never leave her best friend. She may have had another life in a different world, but this was her life now, and she was happy with it. When she regained her memories, she would ask if she could send a note or something to the people she left behind.

Carys had been secretly worried that her best friend would leave her, and she was still a bit worried that Ezra would. But, she resolved herself to respect her friend's decision no matter what. No matter what Ezra chose, Carys would always be her friend.

**B6F**

"Razor Leaf!" "Hex!" They said together, taking down an Armaldo from within the chamber walls.

"I wonder why Uxie took my memories." Ezra wondered. "Maybe it's because I was evil, and he had to punish me."

"Ezra!" Carys exclaimed, shocked. "You and I both know that's not true! How could you even suggest something like that?! You're the nicest person I know! No, I'm sure it's because of something else."

"Like what?" Asked Ezra.

"I don't know, maybe it was an accident…?"

"…You give me so much hope."

"Just a theory."

—**Waypoint—**

They came to a room with a Kangaskhan statue in the middle.

"Oh, hey, a waypoint." Said Ezra, surprised. She touched the statue.

"Now that we have a checkpoint set, do you want to keep going?"

"Always." Said Ezra.

**The next post will contain: a battle, a most knowledgeable Pokemon, and somewhat-vague explanations.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Deep Hidden Cove**

**B1F**

"I'd like to try something, if you don't mind." Said Carys a few moments after they spawned.

"What is it?" Asked Ezra.

"Do you remember when Meloetta was first telling us about dungeon mechanics, and how only one of us needs to find the Stairs in order for the both of us to proceed?" Carys asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I was thinking...I want to see what happens when one of us finds the Stairs and the other is far away. What do you say?" Carys said. Ezra thought for a moment.

"Sure, why not?" She replied, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Sweet! Alright, should we Rock-Paper-Scissors for who stays and who goes?" Suggested Carys.

"But you don't have hands! And mine are stubs!" Protested Ezra.

In response, Carys took out a Geo Pebble, their map, and a Stick. She then laid them out in a line with about a foot in between each item.

"The Geo Pebble will be Rock, the map Paper, and the Stick Scissors. I'll just float above my choice. As for you, one hand for Paper, two hands together for Rock, and two separate hands for Scissors. Winner goes, loser stays?" She offered.

"Uh, sure." Said Ezra.

"Cool. Ready? Rock, Paper, Scissors, shoot!" Carys said, floating above the map as Ezra held out two hands together.

"You did Rock, so I win! You'll stay here in this chamber while I go look for the Stairs. Don't worry, I won't be long." Reassured Carys as she started to exit the chamber.

"See you soon." Nodded Ezra.

_Hmm, what should I do to pass the time? _She wondered.

She walked over to the upper left-hand corner of the chamber and began counting how many steps it took her to walk the entire room. She walked in a straight line to the right side of the room, took one step down, and walked to the left side. She repeated this pattern until she got to the lower right-hand corner.

"The area, according to a Litwick, is 7,140 steps. Doubtless it's only like, 2,000 to a Steelix or something similarly as large." Ezra commented to herself. "Now what should I do?"

As if in answer to her question, Ezra suddenly felt an unseen presence tugging at her.

"Who's there?" She asked as she felt herself being lifted.

"H-hey! What's going on?! Put me down!" She shrieked as she was transported somewhere else.

**B2F**

"Hi Ezzie!" The first thing she saw was Carys's ever-present smile.

"What just happened?" Ezra demanded shakily, unsure of what just went on.

"I found the Stairs, and you instantly appeared right next to me!" Carys explained.

"O-oh…" Said a slightly-disturbed Ezra.

"So, what happened?" Carys asked conversationally.

"You can find out the hard way! It's my turn to find the Stairs by myself!" Ezra declared, determined to put Carys through the gauntlet as well.

"Oooooh, good idea! I'll stay right here, and I won't move a muscle!" Grinned Carys.

"Here, I'll carry the bag. I'll see you soon." Said Ezra as she journeyed off by herself. She couldn't wait to see the look on Carys's face after being teleported without warning.

She came to a chamber, and was disappointed to find only an Oran Berry inside. Nevertheless, she put it in the bag, as Oran Berries' restorative effects were always welcomed. As she was leaving the chamber, something hard and heavy hit her head.

"Ow! What the heck?!" She demanded, turning just in time to see a Kabuto throw a Gravelrock at her. She dived out of the way.

"Hey! Stop that!" She scowled at it. In response, it threw another one. Deftly, she managed to catch it.

"Hah!" She gloated, and threw it right back at the Kabuto.

The Gravelrock hit the back of its shell and it stormed towards her angrily.

"You started it." She told it as she dodged a Cut attack. She followed up with an Ember and the Kabuto collapsed.

"Hmph." She sniffed, heading into the corridor.

Luckily, the next chamber she entered had the Stairs. She climbed them, eager to see Carys's face.

**B3F**

She watched Carys appear at her side.

"That was fun!" The Pumpkaboo smiled with glee.

"Was it now?" Asked Ezra, who had been hoping that Carys would have been as startled as she had.

"Yeah! Teleportation is _awesome_! Anyways, enough fooling around. Let's get going. Luckily the Stairs are here with us." Beamed Carys.

"Right." Agreed Ezra, albeit a tad begrudgingly.

**B4F**

They had been traversing a very long hallway when a Pelipper came to attack them.

"Help me?" Asked Ezra as she managed to give it a burn with a well-placed Ember.

"On it." Said Carys as she entered the wall next to Ezra.

The Pelipper dove at her with a Wing Attack. Since there wasn't much room to maneuver in, Ezra was forced to take it.

"Ngh!" She muttered, wincing.

"How dare you attack my friend! Shadow Sneak!" Stormed Carys, extending her shadow from beyond the wall to attack the Pelipper. It fell, but another Pelipper came to take its place.

"Ugh, I prefer our Pelipper back home." Grumbled Ezra, using Hex.

"I hear ya." Carys agreed, taking the Pelipper down with a regular attack. To their consternation, there was an Armaldo coming up to them.

"Leave us alone!" Shouted Ezra, throwing a Stick at it. Carys threw a Geo Pebble as it came within Flame Burst Range.

"Yaah!" Yelled Ezra, using the aforementioned move. The Armaldo fainted. Thankfully, no other Pokemon came to hinder them for the rest of the floor.

**B5F**

"Ooh, an Escape Orb!" Gushed Carys, going to pick it up.

"That'll come in handy in case we become overwhelmed." Remarked Ezra, eating a Big Apple she found lying against the wall.

"Uh oh." Said Carys.

"What?"

"I think we're all out of room. The Orb's not going in." Replied Carys, trying in vain to shove the Orb in the bag.

"But I thought the bag had hammerspace." Protested Ezra.

"Size-wise, yeah, but we have a limit as to how many objects we can put in here. One item is one item, no matter the size." Carys shook her head.

"Hmm…Take everything out. I guess we'll throw out items we don't need." Frowned Ezra.

"Alright, we have…twelve Gravelrocks—those count as one item—five Geo Pebbles, six Sticks, three apples, three Oran Berries, one Pecha Berry, two Plain Seeds, three Reviver Seeds, and a Blast Seed. Sixteen items total." Reported Carys, taking their entire inventory out.

"Hmm…When did we get Plain Seeds? Do they do anything?" Asked Ezra.

"Aside from giving you a little bit of energy, no. When Reviver Seeds are used up, they turn into Plain Seeds. We can throw those out." Said Carys.

"Alright, let's do that." Agreed Ezra. "Anything else?"

"Hmm…nothing too extraneous. Okay, so, we now have an Escape Orb, and enough room for one more item." Reported Carys, tossing out the Plain Seeds.

"Let's save that last spot for an item we can't ignore." Suggested Ezra.

"Good idea."

**B6F**

"You go on ahead to find the Stairs by yourself, Ez. I wanna be teleported again." Said Carys.

"You sure?" Ezra asked.

"Yep~!"

"Uh, alright, I guess. If you really want to." Shrugged Ezra.

"Have fun!" Carys called as Ezra exited the chamber.

Luckily, she didn't have to look too hard for the Stairs, for they were in the next chamber over. Before climbing them, she looked back towards the chamber Carys was in. She shook her head, amused by her friend's love of fun.

**B7F**

"Wheeee!" Ezra heard Carys before she saw her.

"That was awesome!" Carys laughing, arriving.

"You really like it?" Chuckled Ezra.

"Heck yeah! It's so much fun." Laughed Carys.

"I'm glad you enjoy it. Come on, we must be close to Uxie." Said Ezra.

"Yeah! Follow me!" Trilled Carys as she led the way through multiple halls and chambers.

Presently, an Armaldo came to harass them as they were examining a Blinker Seed.

"I got it!" Sang Carys as she went to face it.

She used Astonish, but the Armaldo ducked out of the way. As she went to recover from the attack, the Armaldo brutally used X-Scissor on her.

"Ahhh!" She screamed in pain, flinching.

"Carys!" Ezra yelled in horror as the Armaldo followed up with a nasty Fury Cutter.

Ezra started running towards her friend as the large Pokemon stood over Carys, preparing a Hyper Beam. Just as the devastating blow was about to hit Carys, Ezra knocked her out of the way, taking the blow instead.

"Ezra!" Carys exclaimed as Ezra was bathed in a powerful white beam.

She came out of it relatively unscathed, since Hyper Beam was a normal-type move. Still, the attack left her bruised all over.

"Nice try," she panted, "but it's my turn now." With this, she sent out multiple crimson rings from her body and onto the Armaldo, who didn't stand a chance.

"That…that was the most altruistic thing I've ever seen." Carys said in awe.

"I couldn't just stand by and let that Armaldo hurt you. By the way, what move did I just use?" Ezra wondered.

"I think that was Night Shade. Which move did you forget?" Asked Carys as Ezra handed her an Oran Berry.

"Huh?" Was all Ezra said.

"You can't remember more than four moves. When you learn a new move when you already have four, you forget one automatically." Explained Carys.

"That blows." Sulked Ezra, who turned to face the wall.

"Ember!" She cried, sending embers onto the wall. She didn't even make a dent.

"Flame Burst!" She tried again, sending the ball of fire onto the wall.

"No, still remember those. Hmm…Night Shade!" She said, willing the crimson rings to pulse from her body." She felt something she could only describe as the essence of pure _ghost-type_ rise from her body in the form of the crimson rings.

"Try Astonish." Suggested Carys.

"Astonish!" She tried, yelling as she dashed forward.

But something didn't feel quite right. Whenever she used Astonish, she felt immense power rise within her. This time, however, she felt like she was just using a regular attack. The spark was gone.

"Astonish!" She tried again, but to no avail.

"It seems I forgot Astonish." She drooped.

"Don't worry, Ez. I've heard of Pokemon who can teach you new moves and even moves you've forgotten! If you really want your Astonish back, then I'm sure we can find someone to reteach you." Reassured Carys.

"I didn't know something like that existed. …I think I'll try out Night Shade for a while, and if I don't like it, then I'll search for a teacher." Resolved Ezra.

"That's the spirit, Ezzie!"

**Hidden Cove Lake**

They arrived in a chamber much like Azelf's. The land held plenty of stalagmites, and there was a vast lake down below the small cliff. The air was damp, being so close to the water, and light came in the form of holes in the mile-high ceiling.

"We're here." Ezra said in a small voice, her adrenaline pumping. Her questions were finally going to be answered!

"Yeah…I wonder where Uxie is." Carys said in an equally small voice.

"I am here, intruders." A voice came from right in front of them. A small gray Pokemon materialized. It was very similar in design to Azelf, but it had a yellow head instead of a blue head. Its eyes were also closed shut.

"Leave this place, now." Uxie demanded, crossing his arms.

"Wait! We're Ezra and Carys! Azelf told you we were coming!" Ezra shouted.

"You lie. Azelf has told me no such thing." Uxie scowled menacingly.

"What?!" Team Banshee demanded.

"But, but, he told us he would tell you!" Protested Carys.

"Again, you lie. If my brother said he would alert me, then he would have. But he did not, which leads me to believe that you are using him to gain my trust." Uxie frowned.

"I don't know why he didn't tell you, but we came here seeking your knowledge!" Ezra said desperately, in no mood to fight him.

"You have one chance." Uxie said after a moment.

"Thank you so much. Where should I start? I guess at the beginning. You see, Uxie, I was once a human, and—"

"A _human?!_" Uxie interrupted Ezra, horrified.

"I know why you're here, human-turned-Shiny-Litwick. You will leave this place _now, _or suffer the consequences!" He shouted, sounded fearful for some reason.

"But we came all this way—" Started Carys.

"_Silence! _If you will not leave, then I will force you!" Uxie snarled.

**Boss Battle!**

"Why is he so afraid of us?" Asked Ezra, hurt by Uxie's sudden aversion to her.

"I don't know, but we can't leave now! Here's your chance to unlock your past, Ezra! I don't want to fight him, but it seems like it's the only way to make him see reason!" Said Carys.

"I guess you're right." Sighed Ezra.

"Unless you two are deciding to egress, could we please begin?" Uxie asked, tails twitching in anticipation.

"We're not leaving until we can talk with you." Said Ezra.

"I refuse to talk to the likes of _you._ Very well then, allow me to show you my Extrasensory!" Uxie declared, sending the multicolored beam straight onto Ezra.

"Ouch!" She winced, being knocked off her feet.

"Night Shade!" She said in return, sending the waves onto Uxie. Strangely, he didn't try to dodge or anything like Azelf did.

"Is that all…? I certainly expected more from you. Future Sight." Uxie sniffed, glowing blue for a second.

"We're not giving up just yet! Razor Leaf!" Shouted Carys, sending the razor-sharp leaves onto the Being of Knowledge. Strangely, he didn't seem too badly hurt.

"He certainly doesn't seem to mind our attacks, unlike Azelf." Frowned Ezra to Carys.

"You know how Azelf's attacks were stronger than his defense? What if the opposite is true for Uxie?" Carys suggested grimly.

"I think you're on to something. So, if he's not inclined to care about our attacks, then what do we do?" Ezra wondered.

"Hmm…Maybe if you burn him? I don't know. What's his strategy? Azelf's was to annihilate us as fast as possible, Scizor's was overwhelm with speed, Celebi's was to blow us up with unexpected attacks, and Team Renegade's was numbers and power. So, what's Uxie's MO?" Pondered Carys.

"I guess we'll find out shortly. Watch out!" Ezra cried as Uxie sent another Extrasensory at them. They barely managed to dodge.

"Flame Burst!" Yelled Ezra, attacking. Again, Uxie only had a mild burn to show where he had been hit.

"Your attacks bore me. Time to finish this! Memento!" He shouted, a black aura surrounding him.

"H-Hey!" Carys exclaimed, the same black aura surrounding her. Soon Ezra felt it around her as well.

"What's going on?!" She demanded, feeling the strength being drained from her.

Suddenly she was released from the aura. She felt fine health-wise, but it was as if the energy had been sucked from her. Uxie fell to the ground, but presently got back up.

"My…Memento…drastically weakens the attacks of others, at the expense of my health." He panted, a wicked grin on his face. "But luckily, I have a remedy. Thief!" He shouted unexpectedly, knocking Carys aside and stealing their bag.

"Hey!" Ezra protested as Uxie rifled through it until he found an Oran Berry. He quickly ate it and dropped the bag.

"That was ours!" Exclaimed Carys as she retrieved the bag.

"Not anymore." Uxie turned his back as his Future Sight struck Carys, knocking her out.

"Carys!" Ezra exclaimed as her friend was revitalized.

"I think…I know what his strategy is." Her friend winced. "He cuts his health to almost zero to weaken us, then he steals our Oran Berries. Future Sight and Extrasensory are just to harass us. It's not half-bad, his strategy."

"Well, he _is _the Being of Knowledge." Ezra shrugged uncomfortably.

"Hex!" She shouted unexpectedly, catching Uxie by surprise. But her Hex was a pitiful mockery of what it normally was.

"Argh, this is ridiculous! How do we beat him now?!" She raged.

"You don't." Said Uxie as he hit her with another Extrasensory. It was difficult for her to get back up, but she was determined not to give up.

"I think another Memento is needed. You two won't even be able to defeat a Magikarp after I'm done with you. Prepare to be obliterated." Declared Uxie as the familiar black aura surrounded him.

"No-!" Shouted Carys as she was weakened.

Ezra let herself be hit. She had an idea. She crawled towards Carys, determined to succeed. When Uxie came to steal their Oran Berry…

"And Thief!" Uxie followed up, once again knocking Carys aside.

But before he could take an Oran Berry, Ezra launched herself at him with a regular attack. Caught completely by surprise, and already very weak from Memento, Uxie fell to the ground and didn't get back up.

"I…I did it." Said Ezra, surprised.

"You did." Said Uxie, sounding forlorn. He was trying to get back up, but didn't have enough strength.

"Here." Said Ezra, handing him an Oran Berry. He looked it, wary.

"Do you wish me healthy in body and mind when you present me before your Master?" He asked.

"What are you talking about? I'm giving you it because it's the nice thing to do." Said Ezra.

"...I can see you are sincere. Therefore, I now see that I have mistaken you for another, and I realize that I fought you for the wrong reasons. You are not the person I thought you were, Shiny Litwick. Please accept my deepest apologies." Uxie bowed, eating the Oran Berry. He rose back into the air.

"Allow us to start over, as if our battle never occurred. My name is Uxie, the Being of Knowledge. As a token of my regret for our battle, I will answer any question you might have to the best of my ability." He said.

"My name is Carys the Pumpkaboo, and this is my partner, Ezra the Shiny Litwick. It's your story, Ez. You tell him." Introduced Carys, the latter part to Ezra.

"Yes. Um…I wasn't always a Shiny Litwick. I used to be a human from another world when I was brought here suddenly. In the process, my memory was lost, and the only thing I remember is my name. I learned about the distortions in this world, and that Darkness is rising. We met Azelf in Scorched Cape, and he told us where to find you. He said that he would give you a message not to attack us, but he seems he lied. So, Uxie, the big question I have is…Why did you bring me here and erase my memory?" Ezra asked, nervous about the answer. Uxie was silent for some time.

"I am sorry," he began, "but I was not the one to bring you here, nor did I erase your memories. Another Pokemon must have done so, for reasons I can only speculate. Forgive me, I have delayed your quest by an inordinate amount of time." He bowed sadly.

Ezra felt as if she was falling. They came so far, and only for Uxie to tell them that he was not the master behind Ezra's transformation and memory loss. She felt tears come to her eyes.

"Ezra…I'm so sorry." Carys sympathized, hugging her.

"I am truly sorry that I was of no help." Uxie said apologetically.

"No…" Ezra sniffed, determined not to cry, "it's okay. Really. There was always the chance that this could happen. I just have to wait a little longer, is all. In the meantime, Uxie, could you tell us about the Darkness threatening to destroy the world?"

Uxie winced.

"I can, but some things I must keep secret, in order to protect certain Pokemon. This war…it began countless eons ago, when a Pokemon with a heart of darkness desired more than_ He_ could have. _He _was sent away as punishment, and _He_ used the time spent in exile to devise _His_ plan for revenge. _He_ manipulated other legendaries to feel dissatisfied with the lives and power they had been given. _He_ made them desire more, and _He_ convinced them that they could only succeed under _His_ banner. Gathering _His_ armies, _He_ subtly bent the fabric of time and space, weak enough to go undetected but powerful enough to start warping the two dimensions. The malevolent events going on today are a direct result of that subtle distortion. Now _He_ is awake, and has already destroyed most of the Light. Indeed, _He_ has imprisoned the very Pokemon who sent _Him_ away in the first place. We are doomed unless the Light's Chosen stops _Him_ and frees _His_ divine captive." Uxie explained tonelessly.

"Who…who is the Pokemon, and who is _His _prisoner?" Asked Ezra, petrified beyond words by what she just heard.

"I cannot say either of their names. _He_ is ever-watchful for the Champion of Light, and to speak _His_ or _His_ prisoner's name is to invite unwanted attention. Me and my siblings have declared neutrality. We are on the side of Light, but to openly declare that would be to sign our death warrants. We do not have the option to openly choose Good right now. If _He_ were to discover me talking about _Him_ or _His_ prisoner to you two, it would mean the end of the Lake Trio. That is why I refer to _Him_ as, well, Him. That way, I can get my point across without attracting _His_ attention. But, I fear this charade of neutrality will end soon, for _His_ envoys have been demanding our alliance lately. This is why I attacked you. I believed you two to be another envoy." Uxie said, troubled.

"I had no idea. Does _He_ know where you are?" Asked Ezra, shaking her head in distress. Uxie nodded.

"Then…then you could come back with us, since you're in danger." She offered.

"Your offer is kind, but _He_ would take my sudden disappearance to mean that I openly side with the Light. Someone's coming." He warned, looking up suddenly. Ezra and Carys turned to see three familiar figures.

"Team Banshee!" Meloetta wailed.

"Team Siren!" Exclaimed Carys, surprised.

"Thank goodness we found you!" Fretted Ranna.

"Who are you?" Asked Uxie as the three approached them.

"This is Meloetta, Dyrim, and Ranna of Team Siren. They're friends of ours. Team Siren, this is Uxie." Said Ezra.

"Greetings. I'm sorry, we don't have time for formalities right now." Said Dyrim.

"What is the matter?" Asked Uxie.

"We just got word that Azelf's been kidnapped!" Meloetta said.

"_What?!_" Ezra, Carys, and Uxie exclaimed at the same time.

"A Piplup who lives in the underground lake in Scorched Cape said that he saw Azelf being taken by an unknown entity. He said that he saw a large hand appear, grab Azelf, and disappear without a trace. The Hooded Brotherhood went to investigate, and they confirmed that Azelf is missing. We ran as fast as we could to tell you guys." Said Ranna all in a rush.

"That explains why Uxie never got Azelf's message!" Said Carys.

"My…My brother, taken by what could only be the Dark side…It seems our ruse has been discovered. My dears, I'm afraid I have no choice but to accept your offer of refuge. I cannot let myself be taken by the Dark." Uxie said grimly.

"Of _course_ you're coming with us, Mister Uxie! It's not safe for you here." Fretted Meloetta.

"Did you find your answers, Ezra?" Asked Ranna to Ezra as Uxie prepared to leave.

"I didn't. Uxie wasn't the one who took my memories. That reminds me; Uxie, you freaked out when you heard that I was a human. How come?" Ezra asked.

"I will explain as quickly as I can, in case my brother's captor is on his or her way here. Yesterday, I felt a slight breach of the Dark's psychic block. This block has been preventing those with psychic abilities from scrying out the doings of the Dark. Anyways, I was able to surpass the block when this breach occurred, where I discovered that the Dark has a Champion." Explained Uxie.

"We know that; we're friends with the Pokemon who actually broke the block! They told us about the Dark Champion. But what does that have to do with humans?" Ezra interrupted impatiently.

"Because, Ezra, while the Dark was busy dealing with the other intruders, I was able to discover more about the Dark's Chosen. _I learned that the Dark's Chosen was once a human._ When you said that you were once a human, I was afraid that you were the Dark Champion sent to abduct me. But when you gave me an Oran Berry out of the kindness of your heart, I realized that you could not be the Champion." Uxie said grimly.

Everyone was stunned.

"Did you find out their identity?" Asked Carys in a small voice.

"Regretfully, I was kicked out the instant I discovered this fact." Uxie shook his head.

"This is…a lot to process. Can we keep this between us six? I'd rather not let the others back home know about the human-turned-Dark-Champion." Said Meloetta worriedly.

"The truth always comes out eventually." Uxie warned.

"I know, but everyone's already on edge after learning about the Dark Champion. If they learned that the Champion was once a human….I'm afraid they might hurt Ezra, as she's the only human we know. I know she's not evil, but the others might not be so rational. Pokemon have been exiled for less." Meloetta explained.

"Fair enough. We have dallied for too long. Let us leave this place." Suggested Uxie.

The six exited silently, horrified by the grim revelations the Being of Knowledge brought unto them.

**Ever since Gen IV came out, you can't **_**not**_** include the memory-erasing Uxie. :P Sorry for the extra-long chapter, but it was necessary in order to build up to the stunning revelation. I hope you guys understand. Who oh who could be the Champion of Darkness? **

**The next (much shorter) post shall contain: A second legendary living in town, a "rescue" mission, and an OC :3**


	19. Chapter 19

**Lily Town**

They spent the journey home in relative silence, disturbed by the things Uxie had told them. It was horrible enough that there was to be an epic fight between the Champions of Light and Darkness, and even worse to know that the outcome of that fight couldn't be determined.

Ezra didn't speak throughout the entire journey. She was too caught up in her own fears. The Champion of Darkness was once a human. _She_ was once a human. What if…? She couldn't bring herself to finish the thought. It was too awful to think about. Everyone had agreed that she was too kind to be the Dark's Chosen, but if she was destined to bring evil to the world, then it would happen regardless. Unless she was ended by the Light's Chosen…

Presently they arrived. It appeared that all of the residents were outside, waiting for them.

"Welcome back." Greeted Rose, albeit solemnly.

"You're back! Did you find your answers?" Asked Lafea, coming up to hug Ezra.

"I didn't." Ezra replied dully.

"Oh…I'm so sorry." Sympathized Lafea.

"What did Uxie tell you?" Asked Jumpluff, coming over from her bank.

"I told them more about what is going on in the world." Replied Uxie.

"Wait, _you're _Uxie?!" Gasped the green Kecleon brother.

"I am." Uxie nodded. Everyone then clamored around Uxie, eager to see the legendary up close.

"_Enough!"_ A Hyper Voice from Meloetta sent them back.

"Uxie's just learned that his own brother was abducted, and this is how you act?" She chastised. Everyone hung their heads, ashamed.

"If you would allow me time to settle in, I would be happy to converse with you all. Is there a place I can temporarily take residence in?" Said Uxie.

"You can stay with me in my library. It is quiet and full of solace." Offered Sora, coming up.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you…?" Uxie trailed.

"Sora." Sora supplied.

"Sora. I thank you for your hospitality." Uxie bowed.

"If you don't mind, I would be happy to accommodate you with a meal." Offered Rose.

"I would like that." Uxie nodded.

"Excellent. If you would follow me…" Rose led Uxie, her tenants, and her employees back to her building.

"This is Rose's Lofts. I'm Rose. I house exploration teams when they come to visit Lily Town." Rose explained as they went inside.

"Ah, I've heard of your establishment. I've heard nothing but good." Uxie approved. Rose smiled and blushed.

"You're too kind. The first floor has the exploration team registration desk, and the Bulletin Boards. The second floor holds rooms, the refectory, and the commons room. The third floor holds more rooms." Said Rose, leading them up to the second floor.

"I will go and tell Franziska, our chef, to make an extra place at the table." She said as she left.

"Sup? Sorry about Azelf. Tomorrow me and my team plan on doing some searching for him. I'm Roman." Said Roman, shaking Uxie's hand. The burly Chesnaught's hand completely encompassed the tiny Uxie's.

"A pleasure to meet you. I thank you for your goodwill, and I wish you luck." Uxie nodded gravely.

"Dinner's ready!" Yelled Franziska.

"Oh, word of advice about Franziska, our Dewott chef, don't let her brusqueness get to you. She's like that to everyone." Said Vaporeon as everyone moved to the mess hall for dinner.

"I see." Said Uxie, coming to sit near Ezra and Carys at the table. Franziska set a bowl of steaming-hot vegetable soup in front of Uxie.

"It just came off the stove. Be careful." She warned.

"Ahh, Franzy makes the best food." Carus sighed blissfully, taking a sip of her own bowl.

Franziska got up, walked over to Carys, and promptly rapped the latter on the head with one of her scalchops before going back to her seat.

"My name is Franziska." She glared.

"So, Uxie, you weren't the one to take Ezra's memory?" Asked Will after everyone had finished dessert, which consisted of chocolate cake drizzled in caramel.

"I was not, nor do I know who did." Uxie said sadly.

"Such a shame." Sighed Pelipper.

"What did you tell Team Banshee back at Hidden Cove?" Asked Rose.

Uxie told the others what he had told Ezra and Carys, minus the bit about the Dark's Champion once being human.

Ezra wasn't really listening to the conversation. She couldn't stop thinking about the very thing Uxie wasn't telling the other residents. It was entirely possible she was the Dark Chosen One, much as she didn't want to be. Using an amnesiac to unknowingly do evil bidding was a perfect plan.

"I'm going to bed." She said abruptly, startling everyone. Normally she was the last to go to bed, preferring to talk and play games with the others late at night.

"Is everything alright?" Asked Rose, conerned.

"Yeah. I'm just…My head hurts." She sighed, not enjoying the lie.

_My first deceit, the first of many to come, _she thought miserably.

"O-okay…Well, if you need anything, just let me know." Said Rose.

"Sure." Ezra shrugged.

"Night." Said Carys, looking doubtful.

_She knows,_ thought Ezra. To sell her "headache", she put a hand to her head and willed her flame to burn low.

She went to her room and laid down on her bed, staring at the roof.

_I'm the Champion of Darkness. My destiny is to end the Champion of Light and destroy the world, _she thought.

_**What are you talking about?**_ Asked Voice, appearing suddenly.

_I know, Voice. I know I'm the Dark's Chosen! Who better than to blindly do evil but an amnesiac human? _She cried.

_**Ezra, what ever made you come to that conclusion?**_ Said Voice, sounding alarmed.

Instead of words, Ezra opened her memories to Voice.

**…_I see. Ezra, believe me when I say that you are _not_ the Dark's Chosen. I have met the Dark's Chosen, and you are _definitely_ not her.**_ Reassured Voice.

_Wait, you've _met _the Champion of the Dark?!_

_**I believe that was who she was, yes.**_ If it was possible to wince mentally, Voice did just that.

_Well, tell me her name and species!_

_**Her name—AUGH!** _A sharp pain suddenly went through Ezra's mind, and she felt Voice's presence depart without warning.

_Voice?_

No answer.

Ezra felt better, but a chilling thought suddenly came to her: What if Voice was _Him_, and _He _was using her to do _His_ deeds? That thought kept her up for most of the night.

_Meanwhile…_

"I thank you for your hospitality." Bowed Uxie, sharing a cup of hot chocolate with Sora.

"It is of no consequence. I am pleased to have the opportunity to share knowledge with one as highly esteemed as yourself." Sora nodded graciously. "But, truth be told, I wanted to talk to you. Alone."

"I understand. You were part of the mind that breached the block yesterday, weren't you?" Asked Uxie.

"Yes. I and my sister combined our powers to surpass the block. We felt another presence as we broke it. That was you, I'm assuming." Confirmed Sora.

"Indeed. Like you, I too learned about the Dark's Champion. But, just as you and your sister were being expunged, I learned that the Dark's Chosen was once a human." Said Uxie.

"Ah, I see." Nodded Sora.

"You accept this knowledge rather well, might I say." Observed Uxie.

"I know for certain that Ezra is not the Dark Champion. I am not concerned for her in that regard." Dismissed Sora.

"…You know." Said Uxie. It was not a question.

"I have had my suspicions. It seems I and my sister are correct." Said Sora. "Do not worry, I will not tell the others, especially her. It is too early to burden her with this responsibility."

"Or is it too late?" Wondered Uxie. Neither had an answer.

The next day, Ezra was rudely awakened from a troubled sleep by someone shouting.

"Wha's goin' on?" She mumbled, rubbing her eye.

She came out of her room to see Rose and Ranna comforting a panicking Herdier.

"What's going on?" She wondered.

"My partner! She's missing!" Cried the Herdier. "I woke up this morning, and she wasn't there!"

"Do you know where she went?" Asked Carys, coming to join them.

"Uh..um…Well, we camped near Joyful Forest. She might be there." The Herdier said.

"Team Banshee, would you two mind rescuing his partner?" Asked Rose.

"Yeah, sure. What's her name?" Asked Ezra.

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Caine of Team Rogue. My partner, Glace the Glaceon, is the leader." Said Caine.

"Alright, we'll be back soon. Sit tight." Said Carys as they left.

**Joyful Forest**

"Luckily this place isn't too big. We should find Glace pretty quick." Commented Carys as they arrived.

"Yeah." Ezra said hollowly, still unhappy.

**1F**

"Alright. Talk." Demanded Carys, turning to face Ezra.

"Huh?" Said Ezra.

"You've been acting weird ever since we got back from Hidden Lake. I know you didn't really have a headache last night, and I know you were awake when I went to bed. So, we're not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong." Carys said determinedly.

Ezra sighed.

"Ever the keen-eyed one, you are. Alright, I'll tell you. I keep thinking about what Uxie said yesterday, about the Dark Chosen One being human once. I'm convinced that _I_ am the Dark's Chosen." She said, a tear running down her cheek.

Carys was silent for a minute.

"I think," she said slowly, "that if the power to bring a human to this dimension exists, then it's possible that two different Pokemon brought you and the Dark Champion to this world. Ezra, do you really think that I would be friends with you if you were evil? Uxie changed his mind about you, you know. The Being of Knowledge doesn't see the evil in your heart. That carries some weight, I'd say."

"But what if I turn evil later on?" Ezra cried out. "What if my heart turns black down the road?"

"I won't let you turn evil. Ez, you took a Hyper Beam at point-blank for me. That's not something most good Pokemon would do, let alone a bad one. Try to push the bad thoughts away, Ezra. They're only going to hurt you." Said Carys, kissing Ezra gently and platonically on the forehead.

"You're convinced of my heart?" Ezra asked, looking up at Carys.

"Your _pure, true _heart." Corrected Carys. Ezra thought for a moment, and smiled.

"Thank you." She said simply. There was still the matter about Voice's identity, but she would deal with that later.

"Anytime. Now, let's go rescue Glace."

**2F**

Their badges _ping_ed when they spawned on the floor, startling them.

"Uh…Is it broken?" Said Carys, inspecting her badge.

"Why would it ping like that?" Ezra wondered.

"Maybe we're on the right floor?" Suggested Carys.

"Possibly. Let's explore the floor and see if you're right." Said Ezra.

They went through halls and chambers in search of the missing Glaceon. They did find the Stairs, but they were determined to explore the entire floor first. Presently, they entered a chamber with a Glaceon in the corner, picking up a Pecha Berry.

"That might be Glace! Hey, excuse me!" Called Carys to the Glaceon, who nearly dropped the Berry in fright.

"Wh-who are you two?!" She demanded, whipping around to face them.

"We're Team Banshee. We're here to rescue you." Said Ezra.

"'Rescue'? I don't need…..Oh. Let me guess, Caine asked you to find me?" The Glaceon sighed.

"Yeah." Nodded Carys.

"Okay, I see what happened. You see, sometimes I like to go off on my own, have a quiet moment, you know? Well, I have to sneak off; otherwise my partner will follow me no matter how many times I tell him to leave me alone. I left him a note saying that I was going to do a job here and not to worry, but it seems he didn't see it. I'm just fine, I assure you, although I will go back. I have the Pecha Berry I was supposed to find." Said Glace, nodding to the pink berry.

"Alrighty. Here we go." Said Ezra as all three used their badges to warp out.

**Lily Town**

"Oh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Cried Caine, hugging Glace, who looked uncomfortable.

"Uh, don't mention it." Said Ezra. They were in the commons room on the second floor.

"Glace, you seem to have a fan club." Said Carys, looking around. All of the male Pokemon in the Lofts were staring at Glace.

"Yeah, unfortunately most men find me desirable. I'm not too happy about it." Winced Glace.

"Why?" Asked Ezra.

"I don't like being seen as just a pretty face. I'm going for a walk." Said Glace, pushing Caine away and heading outside the Lofts.

"Wait for me!" Cried Caine, running after her.

"Well, I'm glad to know that Glace is okay." Said Ezra.

"Yeah. C'mon, let's go bug Franzy for food. We missed breakfast, you know." Said Carys, heading upstairs.

"Carys, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Carys!" Shouted Ezra, running after her friend before she got Razor Shelled into pieces.

**Thanks to SilverScepter for Team Rogue!**

***If your OC hasn't appeared yet, just be patient. They have a place in this tale, but not quite yet.**

**The next post shall contain: A mission, a reward, and a supposed change of heart in Franziska.**


	20. Chapter 20

The next day, Ezra woke feeling much better than she had the previous day. The doubts still lingered, but she pushed them away, determined not to worry until she had a chance to talk with Voice. Speaking of which…

_Voice? You there?_ She thought.

No answer.

She shrugged and headed to breakfast.

"Yo, Ezra!" Boomed Mercury, he and the rest of the Bravo Specials already seated.

"Hello." She greeted.

Presently, everyone else arrived, and food was served. Surprisingly, Uxie and Sora appeared.

"Hiya! What are you two doing here?" Asked Carys.

"I invited them over." Explained Rose as she sat down.

"Indeed. I trust we are not in the way?" Inquired Sora.

"No, not at all." Ivysaur shook his head as everyone dug in.

"Mmm, Franziska, you've outdone yourself with these waffles!" Savored Will. Franziska smiled but said nothing.

Said waffles were the perfect mixture of fluffy and crisp. Honey and raspberry syrup had been expertly drizzled, and each bite melted Ezra's taste buds.

"Word of my disappearance should have spread by now. I hope no one's watching Hidden Cove; it would be great if I could hide in plain sight. I am enjoying Lily Town, but I'm afraid I am very prone to homesickness." Said Uxie.

"Me and Glace can go out and make sure no one's scouting it out. Nothing gets past my nose!" Offered Caine. Team Rogue had decided on staying for a few days.

"I would appreciate that very much. Thank you." Bowed Uxie.

"Me and Vaporeon are leaving again after breakfast." Sylveon said suddenly. "We're going back to our never-ending quest of bringing outlaws to justice.

"You are? So soon?" Asked Kiro.

Sylveon merely nodded.

"Aww. Oh well…Good luck." Frowned Will.

"Oh, Uxie! We all got together last night, and we decided that we're all going to roam the land and spread false rumors about your whereabouts. That way, we'll spread the Dark forces thin and make it seem as if you really have vanished. One team will say you're near Serene Desert, another will say you're across the sea and near Rumbling Volcano…and so on." Explained Meloetta.

"A fine idea." Nodded Sora. "Also, Lady Ezra, I trust that the encyclopedias on Pokemon I gave to you are not lacking?"

"Oh yes, I've learned a lot from them. Thanks again so much for lending them to me. Do you have any books on dungeon items? Carys and I still have trouble identifying some." Replied Ezra.

"I do. I will bring them over around noon."

"Thanks."

"It is of no consequence, Lady Ezra."

"Heyyy, why are you calling her 'Lady Ezra'? I want a cool name too." Interjected Carys.

"Very well, Mistress Carys." Sora said with an amused smile.

"Yay!" Beamed Carys.

After breakfast, Ezra and Carys congregated to the first floor.

"Well, should we do a job?" Asked Ezra.

"Heck yeah! Regular or Outlaws?" Replied Carys.

"Regular. You pick." Answered Ezra.

Carys looked over the different posts on the Board.

"Hmm….Oh, here's one!" She said, taking one and giving it to Ezra.

"_To whom it may concern: Hello, my name is Illumise. I'm wondering if anyone could please escort me to my boyfriend, Volbeat, on the 4__th__ floor of Gleaming Woods. We promised we would meet each other there, but I'm not strong enough to go by myself. I will reward a Purple Gummi. I'll be waiting outside the dungeon." _ Ezra read. "Yeah, sure, why not? You ready?" She asked.

"Yep!" Grinned Carys.

**Gleaming Woods**

"Ooh, this place is as creepy as I remember." Shuddered Ezra as they arrived. Red eyes stared at them from between the dense, dead trees.

"Excuse me! Are you an exploration team?" Called an Illumise, running up to greet them.

"Yes, we are Team Banshee. Are you Illumise?" Confirmed Ezra.

"Yes, I am." Nodded the client.

"Hi! I'm Carys, and this is Ezra! Don't worry; we'll get you to your boyfriend in no time at all!" Said Carys.

"Let's get going." Suggested Ezra, wanting to get out of the creepy dungeon as fast as possible.

**1F**

"I just love the scenery here, but the Pokemon are just too strong for me." Illumise was sighing as they traveled through the halls.

"Wait. You _like_ this place? But it's so spooky!" Protested Carys.

"You two are ghost-types, and you think it's scary?" Asked Illumise, confused.

"But we're nice ghost-types." Pouted Carys. "Anyways, why did you decide to come here?"

"Volbeat and I love scary stuff. Movies, music, places…It's part of the many reasons why I love him." Illumise explained, getting a dreamy smile on her face.

"I see. Well, you two sound perfect for each other." Said Ezra.

"Thanks." Grinned Illumise.

**2F**

"Yah!" Said Ezra, using a regular attack on a Gastly. It didn't stand a chance, as she was much stronger than she had been the first time they came here.

"Nice one!" Cheered Carys.

"What do you think about The Wind, Illumise?" Asked Ezra as she picked up the apple the Gastly had dropped.

"I actually haven't experienced it. I probably won't, since I would never ask an exploration team to risk themselves like that. I've heard the tales, though. It sounds thrilling." She said wistfully.

"…Wanna try it?" Asked Carys. "I can see the Stairs from here."

"Huh? Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother…" Fretted Volbeat.

"We'll leave once it starts approaching, and we won't stray far from the Stairs. We'll be safe." Assured Ezra. She loathed The Wind, but she was willing to tempt it to please Illumise.

"O-Oh…Thank you ever so much." Illumise said gratefully.

For the next twenty minutes, the trio wandered the floor over and over again. They chatted about dungeons, fought enemies, and looked out for The Wind. Presently, though, Ezra could feel a malevolent _Presence_ approach, and the wind started to pick up.

"Here it comes." Warned Carys.

"Ooh, how exciting! Do you feel that presence? It hates us! How marvelous!" Gushed Illumise, excited.

The trio made their way back to the Stairs. Just as they entered the chamber, the wind increased, and The Wind drew closer.

"This is fantastic! I'm absolutely petrified, but the adrenaline rush is intoxicating!" Laughed Illumise over the sound of the wind. "I've had enough, thank you so much! I don't want to blow us out of the dungeon."

**3F**

"That was an incredible experience. I can't wait to tell Volbeat!" Giggled Illumise as the trio spawned next to the Stairs.

**4F**

Their badges _ping_ed.

"Yup, this is the floor all right." Said Ezra.

"Volbeat should be here somewhere. Hopefully the Pokemon here haven't bothered him." Frowned Illumise.

"We have Oran Berries if he needs one. Heads up, Shuppet at three o'clock." Warned Carys as a Shuppet came to harass them.

"Double Team!" Shouted Illumise, startling Carys and Ezra.

Multiple copies of Illumise suddenly appeared. The Shuppet stopped, utterly confused.

"Zen Headbutt!" She yelled, striking the Shuppet, which collapsed.

"Wow! Nice job." Said Ezra, amazed.

"Thanks! That run-in with The Wind made me a bit braver. But I'm not here to battle. Let's continue." Said Illumise.

The next chamber they found had Volbeat inside. He was standing near the wall, looking around. His eyes lit up once he saw Illumise.

"Illy!" He cried joyfully, embracing her.

"Volly!" She grinned, hugging him back.

"Thank you so much for escorting me here. Later on I'll come give you reward at Rose's Lofts." She said to Ezra and Carys, breaking her embrace.

"No problem. Do you guys need help getting out?" Asked Ezra.

"No, I have an Escape Orb." Said Volbeat, holding it up.

"Cool. Well, see you later!" Said Carys as they pulled their badges out.,

"Bye!" The couple waved as Team Banshee exited.

**Lily Town**

"I can't thank you enough! Here, take this Purple Gummi!" Said Illumise once the duo returned from Gleaming Woods.

"You're very welcome!" Beamed Carys as Illumise departed.

"A job well done, Ez." She said, turning to Ezra.

"Dinner's ready!" Called Franziska.

"Ooh, my two favorite words!" Carys grinned.

As the two came to dinner, they found Sora and Uxie there again. This time, Uxie was wearing a strange cape of some sort. The hood was yellow, but the rest of it was gray and fell past his feet.

"What's that?" Asked Ezra.

"This? It's my Edify Robe. It's a special item that is exclusive to me. It is one of the rarest treasures, and it allows me to teleport when my health is low. I thought it would be useful to wear, since the Dark is after me." He explained.

"Wow, neat." Said Carys.

"Lady Ezra, the books you desired are in your room." Sora told Ezra.

"Awesome, thanks." She nodded.

Franziska began doling out plates of fettuccini alfredo to everyone but Carys.

"Hey, you forgot me!" She protested.

"I did not." Franziska replied shortly as she went into the kitchen.

She came out a moment later carrying a large bowl, which she set down in front of Carys. The bowl contained nothing but…

"CANDY!" Screamed Carys in glee, diving in face-first.

"Carys! Have some manners!" Exclaimed Ezra.

"Haha, let her be, Ez. Truth be told, this is quite entertaining." Grinned Sam, watching Carys stuff herself.

Ezra frowned. Why had Franziska given Carys candy, when the former had said that she would curb Carys' addiction? She resolved to ask Franziska after dinner.

"Oh, Team Banshee, the Bravo Specials told me to tell you that they won't be coming back for a few days. Said that they missed being out in the field, and wanted to take down outlaws. They send their regards." Said Meloetta.

"They left? Without saying goodbye? Aww." Pouted Ezra.

"They'll be back soon." Reasured Ranna.

"Well, _we_ scoured the area near Divine Shore, Hidden Cove, and Hidden Cove Lake, but we didn't see anyone. Caine couldn't find anyone either, so that means that it's safe for you to go back home, Uxie. No one would expect you to hide in your own home." Said Glace.

"Wonderful! Thank you, my dear." Uxie smiled.

"We told everyone we could find that Uxie was in various locations, so hopefully the Dark will be chasing false leads." Said Marcus.

"Awesome. Thanks, Team Triple S." Thanked Meloetta.

Ezra made sure to eat slowly, so that she could catch Franziska alone. After dinner, when everyone had left, she finished her food and brought her plate to the kitchen, where Franziska was washing dishes.

"Hm? Oh. It's you. Put your plate on the counter." She gestured to the counter next to her, which was piled with dirty dishes.

"Can I ask you something?" Ezra asked, putting her plate with the others.

"What?"

"Why did you give Carys candy? I seem to recall you saying something about curbing her penchant for it." Ezra demanded bluntly.

Franziska grinned, showing off her sharp Dewott teeth.

"I am trying a new tactic. Obviously outright refusal isn't working, so I have decided I will give her nothing but candy. Then, slowly, I will wean her off of it. First I will give her tons, then I will slowly decrease the amount I give her until there's nothing but actual food." The Dewott explained.

"Wow, I never would've thought of that. I salute you and wish you luck. Truth be told, Carys' appetite for candy is draining our money in the bank. Don't worry, I won't tell her. Well, I'll leave you to your work, if you don't need anything from me." Said an impressed Ezra as she turned to leave the kitchen.

"Goodbye, Ezra." Nodded Franziska, focusing her attention on a particularly stubborn spot on a plate.

**I plan on doing a lot of writing this weekend, so brace yourselves for the end of Chapter 5! …In three posts. **

**The next post shall contain: A homebound legendary, an unexpected tagalong, and a shocking crime. **


	21. Chapter 21

The following morning, after sorting their items and depositing their Poke, Team Banshee was about to head back home to look for a mission when they heard a commotion nearby. They turned to see Uxie surrounded by the Hooded Brotherhood, with what appeared to be most of the town following them.

"What's going on?" Asked Carys as they approached the group.

"The Hooded Brotherhood here is escorting me back to my home. I do apologize for leaving so suddenly, but I cannot put you all in danger any longer by sheltering me. Team Rogue has given the all-clear, so I should be safe back at my lake. The Pokemon behind us are sad to see us go." Uxie explained.

"Aww…" Carys frowned.

"Wait, where's Sky?" Asked Ezra, noticing that the HB was short one member.

"He got up early and couldn't wait for the rest of us to wake up, so he decided to try some new aerial tricks without a spotter. We think he tried to use Sky Attack to split a tree in half—you can see where this is going—but failed and hurt his head pretty badly. Luckily, there's a kind Parasect who lives near our base who happens to be a doctor. She's taking care of him right now. In a very morbid way, it's actually a good thing he did that, since most dungeons have a four-Pokemon limit when you go in. Uxie would've made five, putting us in a very difficult situation." Explained Cave.

"Oh my gosh! Is he okay?" Demanded Carys.

"Well, his gibberish is starting make more sense. When we first found him, he was claiming to be a 'bicycle cream cone'. Now he's calling Parasect his 'mushy giant friend'. He should be fine in a few days." Shrugged Sips.

"That's good." Said Ezra.

"We should be off." Blue Hood cut in impatiently.

"Indeed. Goodbye, friends! Thank you for housing me. May we meet again under sunnier skies." Waved Uxie as his escort led him out of the town.

"Bye!" Everyone called.

"I'm going to miss him. I guess he did have a point about his presence putting us in danger. Oh well, I suppose we can always visit him at Hidden Cove." Sighed Carys as the crowd started to disperse.

"Yeah…" Agreed Ezra. She liked the tiny-yet-knowledgeable Pokemon.

_Voice? _She thought.

Like the previous night when she attempted to contact it, there was no answer.

"C'mon, Ez. Let's go back to the Lofts." Suggested Carys.

"Team Banshee! There you are!" Called Pelipper as they entered.

"Hi Pelipper. What's up?" Asked Carys as he came over.

"I've got good news! Your Rank has increased!" He grinned.

"Really? Awesome!" Beamed Carys.

"Your team has increased from a Normal Rank to a Bronze Rank. As such, the Exploration Federation has seen fit to increase your bag size. You can now carry up to 24 items. They also are giving you a Ginseng, which permanently increases one of your attacks; 1000 Poke, and a Violent Seed, which temporarily maxes your attacks. Congratulations!" He said, giving them the items.

"Wow! This is fantastic!" Exclaimed Ezra as Pelipper traded their Normal badges for Bronze badges, which had a bronze gem in the center.

"Well, I've got to get back to work, but again, congrats!" Pelipper smiled as he returned to his post.

"Wow! We're now a Bronze Rank team! I say we celebrate by doing a mission." Suggested a grinning Carys.

"I agree." Nodded Ezra. "Wanna try an Outlaw? The wanted posters are kind enough to estimate the difficulty taking down the outlaw will be."

"Ooh, yes! Let's see…" Carys looked at the Outlaw Bulletin Board, going for 'B' ranked Outlaws.

"Here's one! '_We've received word that a notorious criminal, named Pichu, is hiding on the 6__th__ floor of Seafoam Sea. This criminal is known for using her cute looks to swindle Pokemon out of their valuables. Her bounty is 400 Poke, and she has been rated 'B'. –The Hooded Brotherhood'"_ Read Carys.

"Sounds easy. Let's go!" Said Ezra as they departed. What they didn't know, however, was that they were being followed.

**Seafoam Sea**

"Ooh, haven't been here in a while. The water's as seagreen as ever." Commented Carys.

"It was only last week." Reminded Ezra.

"Which is forever in Pumpkaboo time!"

"Ugh. Come on, let's just get going." Ezra rolled her eyes as they dived in.

Their tail jumped in after them.

**B1F**

"Hi!" Said an unexpected voice.

"Dialga's diamonds!" Carys swore, startled. "What the heck are you doing here, Kiro?!"

"I wanted to come too." Kiro shrugged.

"Why didn't you just ask us?" Asked Ezra, not sure what to think about their tagalong.

Kiro just shrugged.

"W-well, alright, you can come with us. Just _please _don't give me a heart attack like that again!" Said Carys.

"Will do." Kiro nodded.

**B2F**

"So, uh, Kiro…What do you do?" Asked Ezra after a floor of awkward silence.

"I kinda do it all, really. I like rescue missions, but taking down outlaws is fun, too. Sometimes it's hard, being a one-Pokemon team, but I manage. What about you guys?" Replied Kiro.

"Well, up until now we've done nothing but various jobs on the Bulletin Board. This is our first Outlaw mission." Explained Carys.

"Oh, okay. I overheard you guys talking about this job. This Pichu crook sounds pretty easy. Sometimes Outlaws lure you into a trap, or they try to run away. If they do run away, you have to catch them before they make it to the next floor, otherwise they'll get away." The sole member of Team Tempest explained.

"Huh, I never knew. I think we'll just stick with the easy ones for now." Remarked Ezra.

"Good call. Outlaws are tougher than you think, so it's best to start small." Kiro agreed.

**B3F**

"I think we have a fan." Said Ezra, looking behind them. A Corsola was heading their way.

"I got it. Water Pulse!" Shouted Kiro, sending rings of water at the Corsola. It was surprised by the sudden attack and stood no chance.

"Wait, I thought Corsola was a water- and rock-type. That attack was super effective." Protested Ezra. Water on water wasn't effective.

"Corsola's rock-type cancels out the type disadvantage." Explained Kiro as they got moving again.

"Oh. Weird, but okay." Frowned Ezra.

**B4F**

"Stairs!" Carys shouted loudly.

"Ow! I'm right here!" Winced Ezra.

**B5F**

They had found the Stairs, but a Corsola, a Remoraid, and a Staryu were in front of them.

"You two distract them. I'll head for the Stairs." Said Ezra. No way was she tangling with three water-types.

"Can do. Confuse Ray!" Said Carys onto the Staryu.

"Quick Attack!" Said Kiro, dashing quickly and tackling the Remoraid.

Corsola tried to use Whirlpool on Carys, but she dived out of the way.

Ezra ran toward the Stairs. Just a few more steps, and—there!

**B6F**

"Aww, I was just getting started." Pouted Carys, glaring at Ezra.

"Hello." Said a childlike voice. They turned around to see a tiny Pichu staring up at them with big doe-like eyes.

"Can I see your bag?" She asked, putting a finger in her mouth.

"Oh my gosh, you're so _cuuute!_ Of course you can!" Carys exclaimed, shrugging off their bag.

"Carys! This is the Outlaw we're supposed to take down!" Exclaimed Ezra.

"You're going to hurt me?" Pichu whimpered, turning a tearful gaze onto Ezra. Her eyes were watering, and she looked like she was about to cry.

Ezra's heart melted. This Pichu couldn't be an outlaw; she was too childlike and innocent!

"No, we're not. I'm sorry. Don't cry." She apologized.

"Don't be lured by her Charm!" Yelled Kiro.

"But she's so cute…" Said Ezra, mesmerized by the little Pokemon.

"Ugh." Kiro put a hand to his forehead. "Alright, Pichu, let's see if you can hypnotize them now! Take my Frubbles!" He shouted, throwing the sticky substance around his neck at the Pichu's face.

"Eeek!" She shrieked, blinded. Instantly, it was as if a veil had been lifted from Ezra's eyes. Pichu's spell was broken.

"Hey, you almost Charmed us out of our stuff!" She shouted angrily.

"Thanks for the wake-up, Kiro." Said Carys.

"No prob. Now let's take her down before she frees her eyes." Suggested Kiro.

"Good idea. Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra, sending a ball of fire onto the struggling Pichu.

"Nooooo!" She cried as she was knocked out.

"That was easy." Remarked Carys.

"She probably focuses all of her defense on mesmerizing exploration teams who come for her. Once her spell was broken, she didn't stand a chance." Said Kiro.

"Let's bring her back to the Lofts. I'll call the HB's Riolu." Said Carys.

"Right." Nodded Ezra. The three exited the dungeon.

**Lily Town**

"Thanks for taking Pichu down. We've been trying for months, but she kept mesmerizing us with her cute face. Anyways, here's her bounty: 400 Poke." The lead Riolu said, handing Ezra the money.

"Let's go." One of the other Riolu said, tugging a bound Pichu along. A blindfold had been put over her eyes so she couldn't Charm her way to freedom. She scowled but allowed herself to be led out of the Lofts.

"Here Kiro, take 200 Poke for yourself. If it wasn't for you, then we would've been conned out of our bag." Said Ezra, handing Kiro half of the bounty money.

"No, you keep it for yourselves. I'm satisfied with getting to come along with you guys." Kiro declined, shaking his head.

"Oh, okay. If you insist. See you at dinner." Waved Ezra as Kiro left the building.

Dinner was a quick affair. Franziska once again gave Carys a giant bowl of candy, much to the latter's delight. Ezra exchanged a knowing look with Franziska before returning to her own food. After dinner, everyone was playing Go Fish when Blue Hood unexpectedly appeared, looking chagrined. Sips and Cave also appeared, looking grim.

"Hey, Blue Hood! What's up?" Asked Ivysaur, raising a foreleg in greeting.

"We failed." Blue Hood said despondently.

"What do you mean?" Asked Ezra. Blue Hood said nothing, only smashed his fist angrily against the wall, leaving a large dent.

"The kidnapper struck again. We were on our way to Hidden Cove when a giant hand appeared and grabbed Uxie, exactly how Azelf was taken." Sips took up the narrative when it became clear Blue Hood wasn't going to.

"You're kidding!" Exclaimed Glace, horrified.

"If only we were. We attacked it with all our might, but it was like punching air. None of our attacks did anything to it. Then the hand disappeared with Uxie. We searched and searched the surrounding area, but we couldn't find a thing. Our leader's been bereft about it ever since. He—we—loathe it when we can't catch a foe, but it's especially insulting when we can't protect someone. Our name has been squandered." Sips went on dejectedly.

Ezra was speechless. After all the trouble everyone had gone to protect Uxie, the Dark still took him. It was a slap in the face to all their hard work.

"What did the hand look like?" She asked. Maybe they could identify the kidnapper by hand alone.

"It was mainly purple, and sort of cone-shaped. Its wrist was pink, and its fingers were mitten-like. It came out of a large yellow ring that appeared out of nowhere, and it disappeared through this ring with Uxie. The ring itself vanished soon after." Reported Sips.

"I've never come across anyone with a hand like that." Said Meloetta after a moment. Everyone chimed their agreement.

"It's all very strange, but we didn't just come here to admit our failure. As he was being abducted, Uxie left a parting message for Ezra and Carys: "Warn my sister, Mesprit! She lives in Lake Caution, which is at the end of Grand Wetland. Turn fear into bravery, and do not let the Dark take her!'" Cave reported.

"Grand Wetland? That's miles away from here." Frowned Rose.

"Nevertheless, we'll do it. We won't just sit here and let the last of the Lake Trio be abducted to who knows where! Of course we'll warn her!" Ezra vowed.

"Excellent. Uxie also gave us his Edify Robe. He said to give it to Mesprit, and she won't attack you." Cave gave Ezra the yellow and gray robe that Uxie had been wearing.

"We won't fail." Carys said determinedly. "It's too late to do anything today, so we'll set out first thing after breakfast."

"I wish you luck," Blue Hood said suddenly. "Do not fail, like we have. Transcend above our failure, and get the Being of Emotion to safety!"

**The next post shall contain: A large marsh, a geyser, and a daring jump.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Grand Wetland**

They had departed from Lily Town immediately after breakfast, but even so, they did not arrive until well after noon.

A giant marsh greeted them. The air was humid, and the grass half-flooded. Small ponds were everywhere, bubbling lazily in the afternoon heat.

"Phew! This place is _huge!_" Exclaimed Carys.

"It is, but we don't have time to explore every nook and cranny. Let's just go as deep as we can and see where that leads us." Suggested Ezra, not liking the squishy sounds she made when she walked.

**B1F**

Thankfully, the floor was made of grass, and the walls thick bushes. Large ponds could be found everywhere.

"Ugh! Why do the Lake Trio have to live near so much water?!" Grimaced Ezra.

"They're the _Lake_ Trio, Ez. Of course there's going to be water." Said Carys.

"Still. I'm tired of going into water-type-heavy dungeons! Why can't we go to a forest, or a tundra?" Ezra complained.

"We might go there someday, but for right now, we have to warn Mesprit." Replied Carys.

"I know. I just think that she could've made a better choice in real estate." Said Ezra, wrinkling her face in distaste as they passed a small pond.

**B2F**

"Hey Ez, I found an Orb! It's the kind that's covered in rainbows and glitter. Do you know what is does?" Asked Carys, showing Ezra the Orb.

"It's, uh…A One-Shot Orb, I think. It one-hit KOs an enemy Pokemon." Said Ezra, trying to recall the pages from the book on dungeon items Sora had given to her.

"Really? Then why is a powerful Orb like this decorated so?" Asked Carys, utterly confused.

"Maybe because the universe has a sense of humor? I don't know." Shrugged Ezra. "Oh, here comes a Tynamo!" She said, bracing herself.

"I know what to do!" Sang Carys as the Tynamo came closer.

When it got within striking distance, Carys hurled the One-Shot Orb at it. The Orb, upon breaking, exploded violently in a small radius of rainbow-colored glitter, thus protecting Team Banshee while knocking out the Tynamo in one hit. One would think an explosion of glitter wouldn't do a thing, but apparently the universe had other ideas.

"Hahahahahaha! That was _amazing!_" Guffawed Carys.

Ezra had to admit, the oddly-decorated Orb sure was powerful.

_Never judge a book by its cover, I guess. _She shrugged mentally.

"C'mon, Ezra, let's see if we can find some more of those!" Said Carys.

**B3F**

"I would like some Stairs for my birthd—oh, hey, what do you know. Stairs." Joked Carys.

**B4F**

**Weather Condition: Cloudy**

"Oh, hey, clouds. What does this mean?" Asked Ezra, looking up at the sky.

"I think it means that all attacks except normal-type attacks are weakened." Said Carys, also looking up.

"Really? I don't approve." Frowned Ezra.

"This Lombre doesn't look like he approves either. C'mon, go make his day with some fire." Carys nudged Ezra in the direction of the foe.

"Alright, fine. Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra, sending it out. But it felt weaker, not as destructive as it normally was. As such, the Lombre survived easily. It retaliated by using Nature Power, which turned into Stun Spore.

"Augh! I can't move! Carys!" Wailed Ezra, struggling to move. But her body wouldn't obey. She stood rigid, statue-like, against her will.

"On it! Geo Pebble!" Called Carys, tossing a Geo Pebble onto the Lombre's head. It ignored her, focused on Absorbing the energy from Ezra.

"Didn't faze ya, huh? Okay, try my Shadow Sneak!" Said Carys, extending her shadow to attack the Lombre. Already weak from Flame Burst, it was enough to overpower it. Eventually, Ezra regained mobility.

"Thanks. That was…an unpleasant experience." Said Ezra, wincing.

**B5F**

"What do you think Uxie meant by 'turn fear into bravery'?" Asked Carys.

"I guess there's going to be something scary, and we have to power through it." Guessed Ezra.

"Do you think we'll have to fight a monster?" Wondered Carys.

"I dunno. Maybe." Shrugged Ezra.

Carys was silent for a while.

"Who do you think the kidnapper is?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. I've never encountered a giant purple hand, or a Pokemon with a giant purple hand before. None of the others knew either, so it's gotta be a rare Pokemon." Speculated Ezra.

"What about—Stairs!" Carys interrupted herself, racing toward the Stairs.

**B6F**

"What was I saying? Oh right. What about Meloetta? She didn't know either, so it couldn't be a legendary." Carys went on.

"Actually, it could be. Meloetta doesn't know every legendary, remember? She hadn't met Uxie before. So it's entirely possible that a legendary is behind all of this." Countered Ezra.

"What if the kidnapper is _Him_?" Carys said in a small voice.

"By '_Him'_, you don't mean…?" Ezra trailed off, suddenly frightened.

"I do." Carys nodded grimly.

"It…I guess the leader of the Darkness could have abducted them." Ezra said, daunted.

They were silent for the rest of the floor, fearful for Azelf and Uxie's health and safety.

**B7F**

**Weather Condition: Cloudy**

"Argh, not clouds again." Frowned Ezra up at the sky.

"Luckily for us, I can see the Stairs in the next room." Carys said, gesturing.

**B8F**

"Oh good, no clouds." Ezra sighed in relief. "It would be better if it was sunny, but oh well."

"Enemy alert. Times two." Warned Carys as a Tynamo and a Marshtomp arrived.

"Oh great, a welcoming committee! Hi! Have a Hex!" Ezra said as she Hexed the Tynamo. It dodged and struck her with a Thunder Wave, paralyzing her.

"Not again!" Ezra howled as Carys traded blows with the Marshtomp.

"Why can't you be more like Sips?" Carys stormed, knocking it out with a Razor Leaf.

Ezra found that, while her legs were paralyzed, she could move her arms with relative ease. So, she reached into the bag and threw the last Stick they had at the Tynamo. It chittered with rage, hitting her with a Spark. Being paralyzed, she was forced to take it.

"Ow!" She cried.

"Shadow Sneak!" Said Carys, KOing it the moment Ezra regained mobility.

"Hmph. I'm tired of getting paralyzed." Ezra sulked.

"Then don't tangle with electric-types. C'mon, let's go find the Stairs." Said Carys, leading the way.

**B9F**

As they entered a chamber, they found something odd inside. On a rug filled with various items sat the green Kecleon brother.

"Kecleon! What are you doing here?" Exclaimed Ezra.

"Hm? Oh, hello travelers. Welcome to my shop." He said, not recognizing her.

"He must be a different Kecleon. Let's see what he has." Whispered Carys.

"Not to be rude, but why are you here?" Asked Ezra as Carys was staring hungrily at a Grass Gummi.

"Dungeons are great places for business, my dear. Exploration teams are always willing to pay anything for items they didn't know they wanted." He winked at her.

"How much?" Asked Carys, gesturing to the Gummi.

"800 Poke." The salesman replied smoothly.

"_What?!_" Both of them exclaimed.

"That's four times as much as the ones in town!" Protested Ezra.

"Like I said, exploration teams are willing to pay _anything_." Kecleon grinned a Croconaw grin.

"This is outrageous. No deal. C'mon, Ez." Stormed Carys.

"Suit yourself. Me and my brothers are all over the place, so this won't be the last time you see one of us in here!" Kecleon called after them.

**B10F**

"Can you believe that Kecleon? Charging outrageous prices like that, I ask you!" Huffed Carys.

"That was extreme." Agreed Ezra.

"I'm going to take my anger out on you, Mister Barboach!" Declared Carys, Razor Leafing the Barboach mercilessly.

"What if it was a girl?" Asked Ezra.

"…_Miss_ Barboach." Amended Carys after a minute. Ezra laughed.

**B11F**

"Stairs! The love of my life!" Exclaimed Carys, hugging them.

"I thought that was candy." Said Ezra.

"…We're in an open relationship."

**Central Grand Wetland **

They exited the dungeon to find a vast lake in front of them. It was almost as big as the lakes in Scorched Cape and Hidden Cove, but not quite.

"Wow! We made it to Mesprit's lake already? But I thought we had to pass a test or something." Said Carys, looking around.

"We still might have to. The monster could be waiting under the lake." Warned Ezra, staring at the water's bubbling surface.

They waited, but no living creature arose. A nonliving entity, however, did rise from the water. Presently, a large spurt of water burst from the center of the lake and into the air. As the spray washed over Ezra and Carys, Ezra could feel a sudden increase in heat.

"It's a geyser!" Ezra exclaimed, watching the water bubble due to the heat.

"I've never seen one before! This is amazing! Hot, but amazing!" Said Carys as they watched the geyser spout.

After a few minutes, it died back down, and the air became noticeably cooler.

"That was awesome! But, what now?" Asked Carys.

"Hmm…Uxie said to turn fear into bravery." Ezra muttered, thinking.

There was nothing here to frighten them. There was the geyser, but that was hardly frightening. True, the bursts of water _could_ startle them, but what were they supposed to do with that?

"That water must be boiling hot. I wouldn't want to swim in there!" Carys was saying, watching the bubbles.

Suddenly Ezra got an idea. If it didn't work, then this would end very tragically, but it was the only thing she could think of.

"What if…" She said slowly, "we're supposed to jump _into_ the lake?"

Carys stared at her as if she had grown two heads.

"Are you _insane?!_ That water will boil us alive if we jump in there! No way, I'm not doing it." Carys shook her head.

"But think about it: We're supposed to turn fear into bravery. The only thing that we're afraid of is jumping into a geyser. Maybe we have to overcome that fear and dive in! Maybe it's just an illusion." Ezra persisted.

"You're insane, Ez." Carys shook her head.

"Fine. We can sit here and watch the geyser while the kidnapper abducts Mesprit." Ezra said.

That got to Carys. By her facial expressions, Ezra could tell that she was mulling it over, no doubt thinking what a horrible plan this was.

"…Fine." She muttered eventually.

"Awesome. Should we dive on three?" Said Ezra, gathering her courage.

"Yeah, yeah. Listen, if we don't survive this, then it was fun being with ya." Sighed Carys.

"Same to you too. Alright…One…Two…Three!" Yelled Ezra as they jumped into the boiling hot geyser.

Ezra felt a faint tingle run through her, and to her surprise no water rushed to surround them. They were falling. Through air. Not water.

They landed roughly on a large tidepool. Ezra shook her head to clear the pain and looked up. There was a faint, pink glow at the top of the large hole, but the only water lay on the bottom.

"What just happened? Why are we not dead?" Wondered Carys, picking herself up.

"What we saw on the surface…it wasn't a boiling lake. It was an illusion, which means we passed! We turned our fear into bravery, so now we can find Mesprit!" Ezra said joyfully, relieved beyond words to still be alive.

"It might look like a lake on top, but down here it's an actual lake. Water-types will be here, Ez." Warned Carys.

"I don't care! I'm so glad that plan worked; you've no idea! Let's get going!" Ezra laughed, thrilled that her plan worked.

**Lake Caution**

**B1F**

"Part of me was convinced that we would die," Ezra was saying to Carys. "but now I'm just so relieved that I was right."

"I hear ya. When we jumped, all I was thinking was '_GOINGTODIEGOINGTODIEGOINGTODIE'_. I'm glad I trusted you enough to jump with you. If not, I probably would've been frantically searching for your body, wondering what I was going to say to the others back home." Carys agreed.

The two stopped for a hug, all too aware that their actions could've had a much more drastic outcome.

**B2F**

"Stairs! I thought I'd never get to see you spawn in the same room as us again!" Exclaimed Carys, back to her usual self.

**B3F**

"Hopefully we're not too late." Worried Ezra as Carys stopped to pick up a Silver Spike.

"I hope so too. Let's not dally too long in this dungeon. Time is of the essence." Agreed Carys.

Just as they rounded a corner, a Corphish appeared. Startled, it used Crabhammer on Ezra, brutally bashing her on the head with its pincer.

"Ow! Hey, learn some manners!" She grumbled. "Night Shade!" The Corphish still stood, not terribly affected.

"Huh? Okay then. Hex! Carys, could I have some help please?" Ezra asked as the Corphish still tanked the blow.

"On it. Razor Leaf!" Laughed Carys, sending the leaves diagonally onto the Corphish. _Now_ it fainted.

"Thanks for that. I don't know why it took so long to defeat it." Ezra said.

"Maybe the Pokemon here are tougher than we're used to." Suggested Carys.

"Ooh, in that case, you can lead. I don't relish the thought of powerful water-types coming for me." Shuddered Ezra as she let Carys lead the way.

**B4F**

"Gravelrock!" Said Ezra as she threw one over Carys' head and onto a Gorebyss.

"And Astonish!" Said Carys, following it up. They'd been having a hard time defeating the Gorebyss, but luckily it fainted. It also dropped an Orb.

"Ooh, a Trawl Orb. This brings all items on the floor directly to the user." Recited Ezra, thinking back to the book Sora gave her.

"Sweet! Hey, here are the Stairs! Double sweet!" Trilled Carys as they entered a chamber.

**B5F**

The room they spawned in had a Kecleon shop.

"Hello, travelers." The Kecleon greeted.

"Hello. Are Gummis still 800 Poke?" Asked Carys, eyeing a Gold Gummi.

"They are indeed." He nodded.

"Darn it, we only have 287 Poke. Hmm…Aha! Well, we're not seeing anything we like. Thanks though." Carys said mischievously as they exited the chamber.

"What are you up to?" Asked Ezra.

"We need to find the Stairs." Replied Carys.

"Well, yeah, but you didn't answer my question."

"Here they are!" Said Carys as they came upon the Stairs. "Think, Ezra: We have a Trawl Orb. And his prices are way too expensive." Carys grinned wickedly.

"Oh, you are _not_ going to steal from him!" Exclaimed Ezra.

"Oh come on, I want the Gummis, but we don't have enough. And it'll be just this one time, I promise. Please Ezra?" Begged Carys.

"This is exactly why I worry about going Dark. First I allow you to steal. Then vandalize. Then kidnap. Then murder." Glared Ezra.

"You won't go Dark. Here, what if I promise to only take the Gummi?" Offered Carys.

"No." Ezra was adamant.

"_Fine. _You're no fun." Grumbled Carys.

"I'm a law-abiding citizen." Sniffed Ezra as she climbed the Stairs.

**B6F**

"More Stairs." Said Ezra.

"Can I use the Trawl Orb now?" Asked Carys meekly.

"Fine, fine." Ezra rolled her eyes.

"Yay!" Carys beamed as she broke the Orb. Suddenly, money, a Sky Gummi, a Pecha Scarf, and a Foe-Fear Orb appeared next to them.

"Sweet! This thing is awesome!" Laughed Carys as she collected the items.

"Would you like the Pecha Scarf, Ez? It'll prevent you from becoming poisoned. Glace has one too." Offered Carys.

"Sure, why not?" Shrugged Ezra as she donned the pink scarf. "I don't feel any different." She said after a moment.

"Well, I'm sure it's working. Let's go up." Suggested Carys.

**B7F**

"What does a Sky Gummi taste like?" Asked Ezra.

"You find out." Said Carys, handing it to her.

Ezra took a bite and chewed thoughtfully.

"Bubblegum." She said.

"Really? What's the logic behind this one?" Asked Carys.

"Maybe because bubbles float? I don't know. I'd like to talk to the creators and see why they flavored these things the way they did. I mean, come on. Watermelon for Blue Gummis?" Ezra said, going down the familiar road.

"Noooo, not with the Blue Gummis again." Sobbed Carys.

"Ugh, fine, I'll shut up about them. We should be getting close to the waypoint by now." Said Ezra.

—**Waypoint—**

"Hey, you were right." Said Carys, going over to touch the statue. "We've come pretty far already. We should press on. Mesprit's in real trouble."

"I agree. Let's continue on." Said Ezra as they journeyed on.

**The chapter finale will be posted tomorrow, oh man! :o **

**I love reading your reviews. They make me happy that I'm writing this fic, and that it's good enough to be enjoyed by many. So thanks for your support! I do love your speculations. Some of you are on to me, which pleases me. **

**The next post will contain: a familiar foe, a battle (but not with Mesprit), and mild-moderate sadism. You've been warned.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Deep Lake Caution**

**B1F**

"Stairs right off the bat? Yes please." Giggled Carys.

**B2F**

"Well, that was pleasant." Commented Ezra as they spawned.

"Yep! I'll take it any day!" Laughed Carys as they got moving.

The floor—which was just a shallow tidepool—was a transparent turquoise color, with lily pads here and there. Against the rocky walls, cattails grew up to ten feet high. Deeper water a few shades darker than the shallow floor indicated areas that Ezra and Carys couldn't walk over. Or could they…?

As they traversed through the floor, a sudden encounter with a Huntail caught them off guard. Taking advantage, the Huntail brutally hit Carys—who was leading—with an Aqua Tail, sending her flying into the deeper water.

"Carys!" Cried Ezra, horrified. But luckily, Carys resurfaced, and floated harmlessly above the dreaded deeper water.

"Oi, he's powerful! But luckily I'm strong against water-type moves." She said, shaking her head to clear the pain.

"Razor Leaf!" She followed up, sending the razor-sharp leaves onto the offending Huntail. It struggled to pick itself back up, but seemed determined to keep fighting.

"Not gonna give up, huh? Night Shade!" Shouted Ezra, finishing it.

"How are you doing that?!" Ezra said, turning back to Carys.

"Do what?" She asked.

"You're floating above the deep water! You're not a water-type!" Ezra exclaimed.

Carys looked down, and jumped when she saw that Ezra was correct.

"Whoa. That's cool. I've no idea how I'm doing this." She said, dipping her feet into the water. "COLD!" She shouted, rising quickly.

"That's the only thing that makes sense. I wonder if I can do it too, since I can go through walls." Commented Ezra.

"Try it!" Suggested Carys.

Ezra looked at the deeper water warily. It didn't look terribly deep, but she wasn't sure if she could swim. On the other hand, she was curious to see if she could go in the deeper water as well. If Carys can…

"Okay. I'll do it. But only if you promise to rescue me if this goes wrong." She said, trying to quell her growing sense of dread.

"You bet." Agreed Carys.

"Okay…Here I go!" Ezra said as she squeezed her eyes and dove in.

The water was _cold_! She opened her mouth to cry out, but realized too late that she was in water. Suddenly, she felt a freefalling sensation, and she was aware that she was back on land, sputtering.

"C-*cough*-Carys? *Cough*" She coughed, looking around. She was no longer in the corridor, but a small chamber with a Silver Spike.

"What-*cough*-happened?" She stuttered, coughing up water. After a few moments of retching, she felt well enough to continue.

_What happened? Did the deep water just…teleport me? _She wondered. _Ugh, I'm such an idiot. Jumping into deep water; what was I thinking?! Oh well. Lesson learned, I suppose. Now, I should probably go find Carys or the Stairs… _She berated herself, picking up the Silver Spike and heading down a corridor.

Presently, she came across a Wailmer who looked angry.

"Uh…hi?" She said, backing away. The Wailmer responded by attacking her with a Water Pulse. She barely managed to jump out of the way in time.

"You seem angry. I'm not tangling with you!" She said as she ran away. Attacking a Wailmer alone seemed like a _very_ bad idea.

The Wailmer chased after her, determined to not let her get away. Ezra, for her part, ran as fast as she could, determined to not be caught. She eventually found herself in the same chamber she had warped to. The Wailmer managed to corner her, and she cowered in fear before the large water-type.

"Oh! Duh, I'm so stupid! I'm a ghost-type!" She recalled, phasing into the wall. The Wailmer appeared startled, looking everywhere for her.

"Sucker!" She snickered. Suddenly, she felt a tugging sensation, and then a sense that she was being lifted.

"Hey! Let me go!" She exclaimed.

**B3F**

"There you are! What happened?" Suddenly, Carys was next to her, and she was in a different room.

"You're telling me! How'd I get here?" Ezra replied, looking around in bewilderment.

"I found the Stairs. What happened?" Carys said again.

"I jumped into the water, and…it teleported me somewhere else." Answered Ezra.

"Really? Huh. I nearly fainted when I saw you disappear under the water. I dove in and searched for you, but I couldn't find you. Then I ran all over the place as fast I could, trying to find the Stairs before you drowned. I'm glad you were never in any danger in the first place." Carys breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, you did save me from getting beaten by a Wailmer. So there's that." Chuckled Ezra.

"I did? Ooh. Glad I found the Stairs when I did." Carys shuddered.

"Is it just me or all the Pokemon here stronger?" Ezra asked, changing the subject.

"They do. Normally it doesn't take us long to beat them, but here they don't faint easily. I'm starting to get fatigued with all the extra energy I've been using." Frowned Carys.

"Me too. Let's try to take it easy from now, and use as little energy as we can." Agreed Ezra.

**B4F**

They were unfortunate enough to have spawned next to a Huntail and a sleeping Poliwhirl.

"Remember what I said about using as little energy as possible? Forget what I said." Ezra said grimly as she narrowly dodged a Crunch.

"Night Shade!" She shouted, sending the crimson waves onto the Huntail. It easily shrugged the attack off.

"Confuse Ray!" Said Carys, confusing the Huntail.

Unfortunately, their commotion woke the Poliwhirl up. Angered, it used Hydro Pump on the nearest Pokemon—which happened to be Ezra.

"Ahhh!" She shouted, knocked into the wall.

She fell to the floor, dazed. She hadn't been knocked out, but was in serious danger of being so. Getting back up was torture, but she was determined to fight on. She staggered back towards the fight. Carys knocked out the Huntail with a Razor Leaf, and was currently dueling with the angry Poliwhirl.

"Ember…" Ezra cringed, using the last of her strength to send weak embers onto the Poliwhirl. If it was possible, the Poliwhirl became even _angrier_, and finished her with a Mud Shot.

When she was revived, she could see Carys take it down with a Shadow Sneak.

"Ezra! Are you okay?" Carys demanded.

"Y-yeah…Just…tired." Winced Ezra, getting up.

"Here, have an apple." Said Carys, handing her one. Ezra ate it, and felt a little better, but she was still fatigued.

"I'm not hungry, just tired. I think I need to rest a little bit. The Pokemon here are seriously wearing me out." She said.

"I'm tired too, but we can't stop to rest right now. We have a job, remember? Or, I could leave you alone and find the Stairs by myself. I still have enough energy to fight." Offered Carys.

"Ugh, if you have something that I can use to protect myself just in case, then I'll take you up on your offer." Said Ezra, sitting down.

"Umm…Well, I have a Sleep Seed and an X-Eye Seed. Would those be alright?" Carys said, rummaging through their bag.

"That'd be awesome. Thanks." Ezra nodded, taking the items.

"I won't be long." Carys reassured as she went off.

Ezra spent the time alone dozing, regaining her stamina. Luckily, no Pokemon appeared to harass her. Her nap was interrupted by the familiar tugging sensation.

**B5F**

"Hiya! How was it?" Asked Carys.

"Just what I needed! I'm feeling a lot better. Here are the seeds." Ezra smiled, handing them over.

"Cool. Well, luckily we have the Stairs here!"

**B6F**

They trekked onwards, using the walls as a shortcut. They knew they had to hurry, as they had already dallied longer than they had wanted to. The walls, fortunately, only sapped their hunger, so they didn't have to waste time by tangling with enemy Pokemon. Ezra was feeling much better after her nap. She was still a bit fatigued, but if there was need for her to fight, then she was ready.

"Got another apple?" She asked as they peeked inside a chamber to ascertain if it had the Stairs or not. It did not.

"Yep. Last one, though." Warned Carys.

"Really? Uh oh. In that case, you save it for yourself. I was the last one to eat one, so it's only fair that you have it." Ezra declined.

"You sure?" Carys frowned.

"Yeah. I'm fine, really. I can go on a little longer." Reassured Ezra.

"If you say so. Just don't—hey! Here are the Stairs!" Carys shouted in joy as they came back into the dungeon proper.

"Finally." Ezra sighed in relief.

**Lake Caution Depths**

They had finally arrived at their destination. Stalagmites and stalactites littered the area, and a vast lake stretched out in front of them. The floor petered out into soft sand, and waves from the lake lapped the shore gently. A pink and gray figure stood facing the lake.

"So…Now you've come for me, Dark envoys?" She said coldly, turning to face them. Her head was pink, but the rest of her body was the same as Uxie and Azelf's had been.

"Are you Mesprit?" Asked Ezra.

"I am." She nodded evenly.

"Do you know about your brothers?" Asked Carys.

"About their kidnappings? Yes. I assume you two are here to do the same?" She snarled, lashing her tails.

"No! Uxie asked us to warn you about the kidnapper and bring you to safety! We have proof!" Ezra protested, bringing out the Edify Robe and holding it out. Mesprit's eyes grew wide.

"Uxie's Edify Robe! And it's untorn, so it was not taken away under duress….Hmm…" Mesprit closed her eyes, and seemed to be in a trance. After a moment, she opened her eyes.

"I can sense no evil in your hearts. You speak the truth. My brother did indeed send you to me. I thank you, but I already know that I am in danger. I was actually just about to flee my home when you arrived." She remarked.

Ezra breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, one of the Lake Trio believed them at the start!

"Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Ezra, and this is Carys. We are an exploration team called Team Banshee. We're friends with both Azelf and Uxie." Introduced Ezra.

"Ah, I see. Well then, Team Banshee, welcome to my home." Mesprit greeted, smiling.

Without warning, a _gigantic_ spray of water burst from the middle of the lake, rising higher and higher until it poked through a hole in the ceiling. It was pretty impressive, as it had to be at least a mile from the floor to the ceiling.

"Haha! What a perfect introduction! Welcome, Ezra and Carys, to the _real_ Lake Caution!" Mesprit laughed.

"That geyser…it's _huge!_" Ezra stared in awe as the spout gradually died back down.

"Yes, indeed! Do you remember the geyser back in Grand Wetland? This is the very same." Mesprit grinned.

"You're kidding." Carys said flatly.

"Nope! The water above was fake, but the geyser is very real." Mesprit explained.

"That's amazing!" Marveled Carys.

"Marvelous, isn't it? I am sad to leave my wonderful home. But, I refuse to sit here like a sitting Ducklett!" Mesprit stormed.

"Things _are_ pretty bad." Ezra agreed, sighing.

"Indeed. Many legendaries are warring against one another. They fight because they grow tired of the life they have been given, and desire more. Unfortunately, _He_ has convinced them that evil is the only way to true greatness." Agreed Mesprit, grim.

"Like Celebi?" Asked Ezra.

"Celebi desired more than just living in Lush Highland, occasionally going to play with the Shaymin at Gratitude Valley. She wished for a more eventful life, so _He_ convinced her that it was the Light's fault that she had been given a dreary life. _He_ is a master at manipulation and deciphering the weaknesses of others." Mesprit sighed sadly.

"What about Meloetta? She's not evil. And neither are you." Ezra pointed out.

"Meloetta's the leader of an exploration team, right? From what I know of her, she was once weary of her life. The only reason she is not a part of the Dark is that she has found her true calling. She has not lost her sense of purpose. And neither have I or my brothers, for that matter. We are the keepers of balance. We are not affected by the distortions in time and space, like so many others are. Our hearts are not easily swayed, which is why we're being sought after by the Dark." Mesprit explained.

"Greetings, Mesprit. I trust you know why we're here?" A faintly familiar voice said behind them. The three turned to see a Froslass, a Vibrava, and a Fraxure standing in front of the exit.

"You three! Team Renegade!" Gasped Ezra.

"You!" Growled the Froslass, Formora, recognizing them.

"Were you always wearing that bow around your neck?" Asked Carys, gesturing to the white scarf tied around Formora's neck.

"My Froslass Bow? It was gifted to me recently by our most glorious leader for causing mayhem across the land." Said Formora, fingering it fondly.

"I assume you three are envoys of the Dark?" Mesprit scowled.

"Indeed, we are! You see, our leader has grown tired of your vow of neutrality. He wishes for you and your brothers to pick a side already. Either way, you'll be returning with us. Whether you are harmed or not depends solely on you. So, Mesprit, what will it be? Alliance or obliteration?" Kialandi, the Vibrava, purred.

Mesprit was silent for a moment.

"This would've happened eventually…Alright; I choose the side of Light! I will never join the likes of you! Tell _Him_ that the Lake Trio openly declare rebellion!" She shouted.

"You fool! You've just sealed your fate! We'll get the locations of your brothers out of you soon, I promise!" Snarled Firnen, the Fraxure.

"Wait, you weren't the ones to kidnap Azelf and Uxie?" Asked Ezra, confused.

"Shut up, pipsqueak! We had nothing to do with it, so they must be in hiding." Growled Formora.

"If the Dark wasn't the ones to kidnap my brothers…Then who did?" Wondered Mesprit.

"They truly are missing? Hmm, this is an unexpected problem. No matter, you'll do just fine." Firnen grinned maliciously.

"We won't let you! Thanks, by the way." Said Carys, coming to stand near Mesprit.

"Thank us? Whatever for?" Asked Kialandi, utterly confused.

"If it weren't for you three, we never would've become an exploration team!" She said.

Team Renegade shared a nonplussed look.

"Well, exploration team or not, you will still be annihilated. Surrender while you can." Demanded Formora.

"Never!" Ezra, Carys, and Mesprit shouted.

**Boss Battle! **

"Surrender now or I'll tie your tails in a Gordian knot." Formora said to Mesprit.

"But the only way to get past a Gordian knot is to cut through it!" Protested Mesprit.

"Exactly." Formora grinned maliciously. Ezra was stunned to hear such a cruel threat. Mesprit was horrified as well.

"We're going to win, you know. We have a legendary on our side." She said as she prepared a Future Sight.

"And we care why…?" Retorted Formora, watching them carefully.

"Because you're going to be defeated! Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra, targeting Formora. She hadn't forgotten how the cruel woman nearly defeated Carys back in Joyful Forest.

Formora dove out of the way.

"Shadow Ball!" She growled, sending a purple ball of energy directly at Ezra. She couldn't dodge in time, and was sent flying.

"Ezra!" Mesprit exclaimed, using Psychic to catch her before she landed in the boiling lake.

"Haha! I love fighting dissenters." Firnen laughed with glee as he raked Carys with a Dragon Claw.

"It's so satisfying to see the hope die in their eyes." Agreed Kialandi, surprising Mesprit with a Dragon Breath from behind.

Something tugged at Ezra's subconscious. She frowned, trying to bring it to light.

"Razor Leaf!" Shouted Carys, blocking Firnen's Dragon Pulse.

"Nice try, but just give up! We _always_ capture those we've come to abduct." He laughed.

Suddenly the thought broke through. Back at Jungle Thicket…

"_This hole through this tree—" Sky pointed at a tree with part of its trunk missing, "—is consistent with a Shadow Ball."_

"_And these leaves were ripped off in a way that matches the marks left by a Dragon Claw." Sips went on._

"_Finally, these blast marks match the scorches left by a Dragon Breath." Concluded Cave._

Ezra gasped in realization, tears coming to her eye.

"You kidnapped Ben!" She screamed, pointing a finger at the three. As if to underline her words, Future Sight struck. Or, it would have, if Firnen hadn't used Protect to shield the trio.

"Who?" Asked Formora, sounding bored.

"Shiny Riolu. Jungle Thicket." Said Ezra, outraged at the lack of emotion in Formora's voice.

"Ah, yes, him. You know him?" Asked Kialandi.

"He was our friend, and you kidnapped him!" Screamed Carys in rage.

"Ooh, you _do_ know him! I remember the fight. He tried his hardest to beat us, but we took him down so very easily. I think he might've broken a bone or so as well. His screams were delightful to hear. He cried on the way to our base, you know. Said he had to get back to his friends, that they needed him. He was so forlorn when he realized he wasn't going home again." Formora laughed like it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard.

"You monsters." Stated Ezra, angry at the atrocities that had been done to their poor friend.

"Can we get back to the fighting already?" Sighed Firnen.

Ezra couldn't believe what she was hearing. These three heartless Pokemon cared not a whit for the Pokemon they had hurt. They actually _enjoyed_ causing kind-hearted Ben so much pain. She had never come across anyone who had so little regard for others. They would pay for their crimes, she vowed.

"Ice Beam!" Grinned Formora, surprising them with an Ice Beam directed at Carys.

"No you don't!" Shouted Ezra, jumping in front of her friend.

As she was hit with the beam, she felt ice encasing her. She was frozen solid, unable to move. She watched as her teammates fought Team Renegade. She saw Firnen be hit with an Extrasensory, Formora blast them both with a Powder Snow, Kialandi's Earth Power hit Carys...She willed her flame to grow, to melt the ice so she could join her friends. It obeyed, always eager to singe and burn. It took a few minutes, but she managed to thaw herself out.

"Hex!" She shouted, startling everyone.

Her Hex targeted Formora, and the ghost-type screamed with rage. Suddenly she felt a large weight on her back, knocking her to the ground and pinning her down. Looking up, she saw the grinning face of Kialandi.

"Don't treat My Lady Formora that way. You need to be punished." He said, almost kindly, taking care not to touch her flame.

Carys started towards her, but was cut off by Formora as she and Firnen surrounded Ezra and Kialandi.

"Don't come any closer. You wouldn't want your Shiny friend to get hurt, would you?" She grinned with malice.

"For attacking the Queen of Ice, I sentence you to…my Guillotine!" Laughed Firnen, his tusks glowing white.

"This is bad! If Guillotine hits, Ezra will be knocked out instantly!" Gasped Mesprit, horrified.

Firnen stalked slowly towards Ezra, relishing her fear. She tried in vain to free herself, but Kialandi held her fast. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carys preparing an Astonish, looking at Firnen. Ezra got an idea. She waited as Firnen raised his tusks above her head. Just as he was about to come down, Carys knocked Formora out of the way and struck him. The moment she did, Ezra willed her flame to rise, singeing Kialandi.

"Ahh!" He screamed, clawing at his burned face.

She took advantage of his distraction to race back towards Mesprit. Ezra turned to see Firnen shake his head clear of pain as Carys geared up for another Astonish. When she launched herself, Firnen actually _caught _her. He held her painfully by the ruffle atop her head.

"You little troublemaker." He growled at her. She stared back defiantly at him.

"For that, you are going to pay dearly." He continued, holding a Dragon Claw to her face.

"Gouge out her eyes." Laughed Formora, who was clearly enjoying the scene.

"Good idea!" Agreed Firnen as he slowly brought his hand down to Carys' eyes. She squeezed them shut and screamed.

At this, Ezra's heart wrenched with horror. She then knew what she had to do. Rifling through the bag, she found the seed she was looking for. Unceremoniously, she ate the Violent Seed, feeling her flame swell with pure power. It rose ten feet in the air, and the heat it produced was incredible. She launched herself at Firnen, striking him with a Flame Burst just as he touched Carys' eyelid.

"Gahh!" He yelled, flinging Carys away as he strove to put out the tiny flames all over his body.

Ezra turned just in time to see a Shadow Ball headed straight at her. It knocked her out, and she awoke next to Mesprit, who was consoling an injured Carys.

"Your Flame Burst hit her as well, and she was burned." She explained, looking up at Ezra.

"Oh my gosh! Carys, I'm _so_ sorry! I-I don't know what to say." Gasped Ezra, ashamed that she had harmed her friend.

"It's fine," Carys sniffed. "I know you didn't mean to. Everything huuuurts." She sobbed.

"Do you have an Oran Berry?" Mesprit asked, looking over at Team Renegade, who were trying to put out the burning Firnen.

"We do. Why?" Asked Ezra.

"I'm going to need it after this. Healing Wish!" Mesprit intoned, her entire body glowing white.

Carys glowed white as well. When the two returned to normal, it was Mesprit who fell and Carys who stood.

"I…I'm healed. Of everything." Carys said, awed.

"Quick, eat this!" Said Ezra, handing the fallen Mesprit an Oran Berry. She ate it, and regained her health.

"Thanks. That move leaves me vulnerable, but it completely heals an ally. Now, let's go finish these monsters." She snarled, preparing a Future Sight.

"Right." Ezra and Carys nodded.

"Psychic!" Mesprit shouted with glee, picking up Kialandi and slamming him down on the floor. He didn't get back up again.

Firnen, meanwhile, had finally succumbed to his burns and also collapsed, leaving only Formora.

"You really think you will win? You may have knocked out my teammates, but I am much more stronger than them." She said, crossing her arms.

"Why are you three doing all this?" Asked Ezra.

"We are merely giving the world what it gave us. We three were rejected by everyone, destined to never lead happy lives while the Light reigned. We were given the chance by our leader to make the world suffer as we did. I, being the favorite of _He Who Is,_ will have the personal opportunity to turn the world black." She narrated, ending with a malicious grin.

"I don't think you'll have the chance." Mesprit said mildly.

"Why so?" Formora asked.

As if in answer, Mesprit's Future Sight struck Formora without warning. The Froslass was hurled through the air before crashing into the wall, collapsing when she hit the ground.

…

Formora and her team stirred, rising back up.

"Ergh…You've certainly gotten stronger." Gritted Kialandi as he tested his wings.

"But you will still bow to us!" Hissed Formora as they started back towards the trio.

In front of the two teams, a large yellow ring suddenly appeared in the air.

"What is that?" Asked Formora, pausing to stare at the ring.

A large purple hand with a pink wrist and mitten-like hands came through the ring.

"It's the kidnapper! Mesprit, run!" Shouted Ezra. But Mesprit was too slow, and the giant hand grabbed her.

"Stop that hand!" Shouted Formora, sending a Shadow Ball at the hand. It moved out of the way, dodging the attacks the five Pokemon sent at it.

"Let me go!" Howled Mesprit, struggling to free herself.

The hand did not, and went back through the yellow ring. After a moment, the ring disappeared, leaving absolutely no trace behind.

"No!" Cried Ezra. They had come to protect Mesprit, and they had failed. The entire Lake Trio had now been abducted.

"Argh! Whoever did this is going to get all of their bones broken!" Screamed Formora. She turned back towards Ezra and Carys.

"We may not have Mesprit, but we can still take these two. I will have _so much fun_ with them." She snarled as Team Renegade stalked towards them.

"I don't think so!" Shouted Carys as she broke an Orb at her feet.

A bright blue light shined down from above, enveloping Ezra and Carys. The next thing Ezra knew, she was outside Lake Caution, back at the illusion lake.

"I used an Escape Orb. Come on, they won't be fooled for long!" Carys explained impatiently.

"Right. Let's go!" Said Ezra as they fled the dungeon.

**Ooh, another extra-long chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed **** Chapter 6 will commence on Wednesday, I'm thinking. **

**I'm also toying with the idea of adding actual dungeon music whenever the duo enters a dungeon. The idea is, I'll post a link to a PMD soundtrack I believe is appropriate for the dungeon (Ex. Linking Sinister Woods whenever Ez and Carys enter the spoOoOky Gleaming Woods), making the fic seem more like an actual PMD game. I won't do it unless you guys tell me to, so please let me know! **

**The next post will contain: Forlorn friends, a new day, and a mission.**


	24. Chapter 6 A Most Mischievous Trickster

**I'm going to try out my music-linking idea for a while. Do let me know if you guys dislike it, otherwise I'll think you like it and keep doing it. Now, the music may not match the mood of the characters (like in this post). What it **_**will**_** match is the general ambiance of the dungeon itself. For example, if the dungeon is fire-type heavy and has a darker mood to it, I'll link Dark Crater. Or, if the dungeon has a more mystical feel to it, you'll be hearing Mystifying Forest or Mt. Freeze, depending on what kind of dungeon it is. Anyways, back to your somewhat-regularly scheduled programming…**

**Chapter 6. A Most Mischievous Trickster**

They ran and ran back to Lily Town, fearful of being pursued. The only things they could think about were being chased and their failure to protect Mesprit. It seemed to Ezra that each of her steps was screaming '_you failed!' _at her. A light drizzle was starting to fall as they raced through the land, and by the time they arrived back home, it had turned into a downpour.

As they reached the town, they finally allowed themselves to cease their flight and slow down to a dreary walk. They didn't know how they were to face the others, to look them all in the eye and say "we failed". But they knew they had to.

Even though they could barely see in front of them due to the incessant rain, they walked slowly, guilt weighing down their every step.

Presently, they came to Rose's Lofts, where everyone was waiting inside. They had undoubtedly missed dinner, as when they had fled Lake Caution the moon was almost directly above them. That had been hours ago.

Opening the door took a lot of willpower, but they managed to bring themselves to enter and head up to the second floor.

"There you guys are! What happened?" Exclaimed Rose, getting up from her seat by the fire. It appeared everyone was still awake. Waiting for them.

Ezra and Carys remained silent. They couldn't find the strength to bring the words to their lips.

"Ezra? Carys?" Asked Meloetta, looking at each of them in turn as Franziska handed the duo a cup of hot chocolate.

Ezra could only shake her head wearily. Everyone seemed to get what had happened by that one, forlorn gesture.

"Oh…I'm so sorry." Sympathized Glace.

"We failed." Carys said, finally managing to speak.

"What do you mean?" Asked Kiro.

"We got to Lake Caution, where Mesprit lives. We fought envoys of the Dark who had come to kidnap her. Then, suddenly, a giant purple hand appears from nowhere and abducts her. We were _right there_, but we couldn't do a thing! We failed!" Ezra wept openly.

"Dark envoys? Can you go into a little more detail of what happened, please?" Asked Blue Hood.

Between sobs and sips of hot chocolate, Ezra and Carys told their friends all that had transpired.

"It sound like Mesprit would have been taken no matter what you did. Either by the unknown kidnapper or by this Team Renegade." Speculated Meloetta.

"We could have fled the dungeon with Mesprit, but instead we chose to stay and put her in danger!" Protested Carys.

"Well, Team Renegade was already arriving when you spoke to her. And you were forced to fight them, so she was in danger no matter what. But, you also said that the Dark weren't the ones to abduct Uxie and Azelf. So, the question is, who took them, then?" Frowned Cave, thinking.

None of them had an answer.

"I felt the same way you did when Uxie was kidnapped right in front of me. I felt so helpless, so angry that I had failed my duty. But, later, I realized that sometimes there will be moments when I cannot fulfill my mission. It has made me resolve to improve myself so that those times will be few and far-between. In the meantime, there are hundreds of others who I can give my aid to. I will focus on that instead of my failures. Take heart, you two. Sometimes, fate is cruel. There is nothing that we can do but to accept it and move on." Said Blue Hood, coming to kneel down beside Ezra and Carys.

Ezra felt slightly better after his speech, but guilt still loomed.

"Can you tell us more about Team Renegade? The name sounds vaguely familiar." Requested Sips.

"There are three of them: A Fraxure, a Vibrava, and a Froslass. Firnen, the Fraxure, is the most brutish of the three. He seems to rely on power. Kialandi is the Vibrava. He likes to strike from behind. His words are eloquent, but his actions are cruel. Formora, though…" Ezra trailed off, shuddering at the thought of the sadistic Froslass.

"Formora is the Froslass, and the leader. She…I've never seen someone who enjoys causing pain as much as she does. She has no empathy for others, and has no qualms about maiming others. I almost lost my eyes due to her. She told Firnen to gouge them out." Carys's voice tapered into a whisper.

Everyone was silent, horrified at what Carys just said.

"They were the ones who kidnapped Ben. We didn't get the chance to ask why, or where he is now. They're…they're not like other Dark Pokemon. They're not the stereotypical villains where they love to cause mindless violence. No, they think and strategize, which scares me. They need to be put away for good." Said Ezra, going over to the window to watch the rain fall. Suddenly, the room started spinning, and she felt all the energy drain from her. Dimly, she heard the others start talking all at once, no doubt about Ben.

"Ezra! You two must be exhausted. We shouldn't have kept you up. Here, go to bed." Said Rose, coming to catch her. She led Ezra and Carys down to their room and laid them onto their beds. Ezra was fast asleep before she hit the ground.

The next day, Ezra felt drained. Her head hurt, and there was a strange lethargy all around her. Slowly, she got up. As she looked outside, she saw that the rain had let up during the night, but mud puddles were everywhere. Going outside was not going to be pleasant.

"Mornin'." She heard Carys murmur. She turned around to see her friend rise, looking exactly how Ezra felt.

"Hey." She nodded.

"You feeling lethargic as well?" Carys asked, coming to stand by the window with Ezra.

"Yeah." Ezra said simply.

The two watched the townspeople go about their day for a while. Presently, they heard Franziska's call to breakfast.

"I'm not hungry, but I guess we should go and be polite." Sighed Ezra.

"Good morning, you two. How are you?" Asked Rose as the two headed into the refectory.

"Could be better." Shrugged Carys as they sat down.

"Aw, I'm sorry. Here, have some toast and orange juice." Rose said, handing the plate of toast and pitcher of juice to them.

As breakfast went on, the normal routine helped mend Ezra's spirit a little. She answered the Hooded Brotherhood's questions about Team Renegade and what they did to Ben, and even laughed a little at a joke Will made. She still felt a bit awful about the events of yesterday, but she tried to put on a happy face.

Afterwards, she and Carys met in the front lobby, staring at the Bulletin Boards.

"What do you think about doing one?" Asked Carys.

"I don't know. I kinda do, I kinda don't." Ezra shrugged.

"I feel you. Still, I'd rather not keep feeling down for too much longer. Maybe a good deed will set us back on track." Carys sighed.

"Maybe." Said Ezra.

"…..Here. A Nincada needs rescuing on the 6th floor of Parched Plains. He's paying an Oran Berry and an apple." Said Carys, taking the post down.

"Sounds good. Shall we?" Asked Ezra.

"Sure."

**Parched Plains ( watch?v=wA-GkVUIFfA&amp;list=PL4B9337F962390A0C&amp;index=22 or "PMD Cave and Side Path" for the lazy)**

**1F**

"Haven't been here for a while." Commented Carys, looking around.

"Yeah." Nodded Ezra.

"Come on, let's just do this." Said Carys as they got going.

**2F**

"Razor Leaf." Said Carys, taking down an enemy Sandshrew with ease.

"We certainly got stronger since we came here last. The Pokemon don't really challenge us here." Remarked Ezra as she picked up the Blast Seed the Sandshrew dropped.

"I'd be insulted if they did." Said Carys, cracking a small smile.

The two shared a quiet laugh.

**3F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Ohhh…" Breathed Ezra, soaking up the sunlight.

"You sure like the sun." Observed Carys. "Argh, I really wish I had arms. The sun's in my eyes!"

"It makes me happy." Ezra replied, tilting her face upwards to bask in as much sunlight as she could. Her flame rose in response to the power increase she felt.

"I can see that. This Cacnea seems to like it too." Said Carys, noticing a Cacnea entering the chamber.

"I got it. Ember!" Shouted Ezra, sending extra-hot embers toward the foe. The Cacnea dodged, at hit her with a Pin Missile.

"That doesn't hurt me, you know." She reproved. "I said, Ember!" This time, the Cacnea fell.

"Nice job." Said Carys.

"Thanks."

**4F**

"Here's the Stairs." Noticed Ezra.

**5F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"I wonder how Mesprit's doing. I hope she's okay." Ezra said quietly.

"Me too. I hoping that, since the Dark didn't take her, then someone else did. Maybe the kidnapper is actually 'rescuing' her." Said Carys.

"But why didn't they tell her? Or Uxie or Azelf?" Wondered Ezra.

"Maybe they couldn't. Remember, we only saw a hand. Maybe the rest of the body told them once the hand rejoined it." Suggested Carys.

"I hope you're right. Oh, here's a Vulpix. Care to do the honors?" Asked Ezra, noticing a Vulpix up ahead in the corridor.

"Watch. Razor Leaf!" Said Carys, sending the leaves down the hall.

The Vulpix saw and turned tail, attempting to outrun the attack, but failed. The Razor Leaf struck, and it went down instantly.

"Nice." Said Ezra.

"I try." Carys shrugged, smiling.

**6F**

_Ping!_

"Yup, right floor." Said Ezra, hearing her badge _ping_.

"Aww, the Stairs are here too." Pouted Carys, noticing the Stairs had spawned in the same room as them.

"Come on, let's go find Nincada." Said Ezra.

After fighting three Sandshrews in a row, they finally came to a chamber in which a cowering Nincada lay.

"Don't hurt me!" He begged, spotting the two.

"We're not here to harm you! We're an exploration team come to rescue you." Ezra said quickly, noticing their client preparing a Leech Life.

"You are? Oh, fantastic! Thank you ever so much! Get me out of this Arceus-forsaken place!" Nincada exclaimed.

"We will. One sec." Said Carys, turning her badge towards their client. The familiar white light shined down on him, beaming him out of the dungeon. Ezra and Carys did the same onto themselves.

**Lily Town**

"I can't express my gratitude for saving me! It's not much, but please have my Oran Berry and apple!" Nincada said, handing the items over.

"No problem. Be careful next time." Warned Ezra.

"I will, definitely! Farewell!" Nincada called, exiting the building.

"Well, I feel a lot better." Said Carys after he had gone.

"I do, too. It's going to be a day or two before I feel 100%, but succeeding on rescue missions really helps." Agreed Ezra.

"It really does." Nodded Carys.

"Dinnertime!" Yelled Franziska.

"Although food helps a lot too." Carys added.

Ezra laughed, following Carys up the stairs and to the cafeteria.

**So, Chapter 6 starts off with a short filler chapter. The heroes couldn't exactly go off into the next major mission feeling guilty and forlorn about their failure, so they needed a pick-me-up to lighten the burden on their souls. It's not entirely gone, but luckily they'll get back into the swing of things in the next installment, which will contain: A sunny mountain, an escort mission, and a green Espeon.**

**If anything seems off about today's post, I do apologize. Had a bit of a rough time before I wrote this.**


	25. Chapter 25

Ezra was rudely woken from her slumber by a familiar voice.

_**Ahh….ahhh…** _Voice moaned. **_How…how long was I unconscious…?** _

_Hwhhaaat? Ugh…What time is it? _She thought groggily, staring out the window.

Seeing the faintest pink line on the horizon, she presumed it to be almost dawn.

_Did you really have to wake me so early…? Ugh, I guess that means I'm getting up now._ She thought irritably.

**_Sorry…I've only just woken up since our last conversation…Oi, everything hurts…How long was I out?**_ Voice winced, sounding like it was in pain.

_Uh…_ Ezra couldn't think straight quite yet. _A few days, I think. What happened?_

_**A few _days_?! Oh my, that is worrying. I'm getting weaker and weaker…**_

_What do you mean?_

_**I should explain. I currently am being imprisoned against my will. The last we spoke, I was surprised by my jailer, who caught me using telepathy. Normally I can evade his suspicion, but it appears I was overconfident. Anyway, he struck me, and I have been unconscious until just now.** _Voice explained, regaining its strength.

_Wait, you're trapped? Tell me where you are! I'll come rescue you! _Ezra exclaimed.

_**I cannot. To tell my location would mean my death, which is something I'd rather avoid. My jailer and my warden are ever watchful for mention of my prison, and they would most assuredly kill us both if they heard me speaking it. Besides, you are not capable of rescuing me right now, Ezra. I mean that in no disrespect, but it is the truth.** _It said gently.

_Hmph. Fine. Who are your captors, or are you not allowed to tell me either? _

**_Alas, I cannot. I am sorry. Tell me, do you still have the two Shards?**_

_We do. Luckily we only need to find one more!_

_**Nay. You need to find…four more.**_

_What?! But you said that there was only one more Shard left to find!_ Ezra protested.

**_At the time that I told you that, yes. But I have lost four more since then. My captors are slowly killing me by removing those Shards from me…Ugh, the mere _presence_ of my jailer is enough to weaken me. I suppose that's what to expect, given his particular abilities…** _Voice mused.

Ezra seethed inwardly. They had to find four Shards, which were hidden somewhere across the continent?! Suddenly, a revelation came to her.

_You…You're the leader of the Light side, aren't you? Uxie said that the leader of the Dark imprisoned the Pokemon who sent it away years ago. That's you, isn't it?_

_**You are correct. I punished my warden millennia ago, and in revenge he is holding me hostage. But that's all I can say, unfortunately. My captors listen closely for certain names, you see.** _Answered Voice.

_That's amazing! I need to tell everybody about this! _Exclaimed Ezra.

**_NO! Please, don't tell anyone about me. The fewer who know of me, the better. …I have to leave for now, but I'll speak to you soon. Fare thee well, Ezra.** _Voice said as it departed.

Ezra frowned. Why was Voice so adamant about not being known to anyone else? Perhaps it was afraid of a Dark spy learning that it was in contact with an outsider.

She looked out the window, and saw that it was dawn. Since breakfast wouldn't commence for a few hours yet, she settled back down for a few more hours of precious sleep.

After breakfast, Ezra and Carys completed their morning routine of buying, selling, and storing items. Thanks to Franziska's efforts to wean Carys off of candy, they had a lot more money in the bank now. As they were just about to head home to look for a mission, a voice behind them spoke.

"Um, excuse me, are you two an exploration team, or do you know where to find one? I desperately need one." They turned to find a green Espeon standing behind them.

"We're an exploration team, and we'd be happy to help! What do you need?" Asked Carys.

The Espeon brightened. "Really? Oh, thank you! My name is Soledad, and as you can see, I'm a Shiny Espeon. I need help getting back to my tribe on top of Mt. Sunlight. I'm not a fighter, so I require the aid of an exploration team."

"Well, I'm Carys the Pumpkaboo, and this is Ezra the Shiny Litwick. We're Team Banshee, and we'll escort you back to your tribe." Grinned Carys.

"Awesome! Just let me know when you're ready." Soledad smiled.

"Actually, we're ready right now. Shall we be off?" Asked Ezra.

"Yes! I can lead you to Mt. Sunlight. It's about 15 miles south from here. Let's go!" Said Soledad.

**Mt. Sunlight ( watch?v=41pqcbjdg_U)**

The terrain was rocky, but the rocks themselves were smooth, reflecting the sunlight. It was sunny overhead, and all the glares from the rocks were giving Ezra a headache.

"Well, this is it. Me and my people live at the very top of the mountain." Said Soledad, looking up at the mountain peak.

"Sounds good to me. Everyone ready? Let's go!" Said Ezra, leading the way.

**1F**

The floor was a grayish-colored dirt, and the walls a darker shade. Small rocks were embedded in the walls here and there, reflecting the sunlight. The trio had the misfortune of spawning next to a Sunflora.

"Grass-type! I got it! Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra, taking the Sunflora completely by surprise. It didn't stand a chance.

"Wow, that was impressive." Remarked Soledad as they got moving.

"Thanks. We're not too shabby, Carys and I." Said Ezra, smiling over her shoulder.

"So, Soledad, how'd you end up in Lily Town?" Carys asked conversationally.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She sighed.

"Try us." Invited Carys.

"Well….I was with my closest advisor when suddenly, out of nowhere, a giant purple hand picked me up and put me somewhere else!" Soledad exclaimed.

Both Ezra and Carys stopped in the middle of the corridor, causing Soledad to crash into them.

"Oof! Sorry. You were attacked by a giant purple hand? Did this hand have a pink wrist and come out of a yellow ring?" Ezra asked excitedly.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Why? Do you know who displaced me?" Soledad asked as they started walking.

"Not exactly. Do you—Stairs!" Shouted Ezra, spotting them.

**2F**

"Do you know of the Lake Trio kidnappings?" She continued.

"Yes, I do." Soledad nodded.

"Well, they were kidnapped by a giant purple hand, the exact same one that took you." Said Carys.

"You're kidding! I came in contact with their kidnapper? Oh my, I'm glad I wasn't hurt. Ooh, that's scary." Soledad shivered.

"Stairs aren't scary, though." Said Carys, eyeing them.

**3F**

"Did you ever see the rest of the Pokemon who took you?" Ezra asked.

"No, I didn't. I was taken through the yellow ring, and it led to my brother's home. It dropped me right in the middle of him and his tribe, and then it disappeared through the ring." Soledad explained.

"Hold on, a Deerling wants to play with us. You want the honors, Ez, or should I have them?" Interrupted Carys as a Deerling came to meet them in a hall.

"I got it. Night Shade!" Shouted Ezra.

Since the Deeling had little room to maneuver in, it was forced to take the attack. It glared intensely and sent a Leech Seed at Ezra. The seed hit her, and subsequently grew quickly, vines wrapping her up and immobilizing her.

"Hey! I can't move!" She exclaimed as she felt the energy being drained from her and into the Deerling.

"Shadow Sneak!" Helped Carys, extending her shadow from under Ezra and to the Deerling, which fainted.

Almost instantly, the Leech Seed died, freeing Ezra.

"Phew! Thanks." She grimaced.

"No problem. What were we talking about? Oh yeah. What happened after you were freed, Soledad?" Carys asked.

My brother instantly told me to get out, so I couldn't ask him for help. His pack pushed me out of the dungeon, and so I went to Lily Town because I heard that there were a lot of exploration teams there." Soledad sighed sadly.

"He kicked you out? Why?" Asked Ezra.

"We had a huge fight the last time we spoke, so I guess he's still mad at me. His pack lives not too far from here, actually." Soledad explained, looking forlorn. No doubt she still loved her brother even after their argument.

"I'm sorry. I hope he forgives you soon." Ezra sympathized.

"I do too." Soledad sighed.

**4F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Ooh, I love the sun." Breathed Ezra, soaking up the rays.

"I like it too. We Espeon are supposed to be connected to the sun in a way. That's why me and my tribe live on the peak of this mountain, because it's sunny almost every day." Soledad smiled.

"Are you the leader?" Inquired Carys.

"I am, yes. I'm the leader of a group of Espeon. You're probably wondering how a weak fighter like me is leader. Well, I settle disputes diplomatically, and I'm very good at pacifying others peacefully. My brother, Roran, is a Shiny Umbreon. He lives in a place called Moonlit Meadow, and he leads a pack of Umbreon. I'm the diplomat, he's the aggressive one." She explained.

"Wow, neat. Don't worry, we'll get you to your people soon." Reassured Ezra.

"I have faith in you two." Soledad nodded.

**5F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Oh, the Stairs are here with us." Said a surprised Soledad.

"Isn't it great?" Laughed Carys.

**6F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

They were walking down a hallway when they were ambushed by a Sunkern from an adjacent hall.

"Ack!" Cried Ezra as she was hit with a Razor Leaf.

"Ember!" She stormed. The Sunkern nimbly dodged, seemingly with no effort.

"What the…? Alright. Hex!" Ezra tried again. Again, the Sunkern jumped out of the way.

"Chlorophyll." Said Carys.

"Huh?" Demanded Ezra, trying and failing to hit the Sunkern.

"Sunkern's Ability. It makes it go faster in strong sunlight." Chimed Soledad. "Allow me to help. Trick Room!" She intoned, her eyes glowing white for a second.

Suddenly Ezra felt herself bursting with energy, prompting her to act quickly.

"Ember!" She shouted, darting quickly and shooting embers at the Sunkern, who was too slow to dodge. It fainted.

"Wow! What happened? I feel so energetic!" She asked.

"I do too!" Sang Carys, who was doing backflip after backflip.

"Trick Room switches the speeds of attackers and defenders. We'll have Sunkern's speed boost for the rest of the floor." Soledad explained.

"Awesome! Hey, Soledad and Ez. I'll race you to the Stairs!" Laughed Carys.

"You're on!" Said Ezra, running ahead.

"Hey! I didn't say 'go' yet!" Raged Carys as they tried to catch up.

**7F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"What prompted you two to form an exploration team, if I may ask?" Asked Soledad.

"Well, we saved a baby Chikorita from being kidnapped by evil Pokemon. After that, we agreed that we liked exploring dungeons and rescuing Pokemon, so we decided to form a team." Explained Ezra, giving Soledad the shorter version. She wasn't sure if telling Soledad that she used to be a human was a good idea.

"How brave of you two. I'm impressed." Soledad said, awed.

"It's nothing, really. How do you spend your days as tribe leader?" Asked Carys.

"We search for food, defend our territory, and we trade with other nearby tribes. We used to trade with my brother's pack, but ever since our fight…" Soledad trailed off, drooping.

"Maybe you could send a gift of some sort? Maybe if you let your brother know you're willing to be friends again, he'll forgive you." Offered Ezra.

"That might work. I'll consider that as an option. Thank you." Soledad nodded thoughtfully.

**8F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Ooh, I'm starting to get tired of all this walking. Do you two ever get tired?" Asked Soledad after they had been walking for a while.

"Sometimes. We have food if you're hungry. But normally we just press on until the end. We don't let fatigue tell us what to do!" Carys beamed.

"I see. I will try to keep going. Forgive me, I've rarely been in dungeons, so I'm not experienced in exploration." Soledad bowed.

"It's all good. Hey, there are the Stairs! …Being guarded by a Solrock and Sewaddle." Carys said as the two foes took notice of the three.

"Here we go. I see Sewaddle's under the influence of Chlorophyll. Soledad, think you could Trick Room us again?" Asked Ezra as she prepared for a fight.

"Sure. But first, Helping Hand!" Soledad said as she waved her forelegs. Ezra suddenly felt stronger.

"Helping Hand ups your attacks." Soledad nodded. "Trick Room!" She shouted as the Solrock and Sewaddle were within striking distance.

Ezra felt her speed increase as well. "Ember!" She shouted, knocking out the Sewaddle immediately. "And Night Shade!" She followed up, striking the Solrock.

It was knocked back a bit, but came forward, hitting her with a Psybeam. But faced with three speedy foes, it fell quickly to Carys's superfast Razor Leaf.

"Woo! Extra speed is really useful for battles!" Carys cheered, racing to the Stairs.

**9F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Whee, more Stairs!" Trilled Carys.

**10F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Even _more_ Stairs!" She guffawed.

"Does this happen often?" Asked Soledad.

"Not really." Shrugged Ezra.

**11F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

A Sunflora had spawned next to them as well. It was just as surprised as Ezra, Carys, and Soledad, but the latter three recovered quicker, and took it down almost as quickly as they had gotten over their surprise. Moving further into the dungeon, they found a small Kecleon Shop.

"Hello travelers." Kecleon greeted.

"Hello. What do you have for sale?" Asked Soledad, coming over to look at the four items for sale.

"I have an apple, an Oran Berry, a Power Band, and a Black Gummi." He replied.

"Careful, Soledad. The prices are outrageous." Warned Ezra.

"I've no need for any of these items anyway. Thank you, though. Have a nice day, sir." Soledad bowed diplomatically to Kecleon as they left the chamber.

"My tribe often trades with these wandering Kecleon. I agree with you that their prices are extreme, but sometimes they have interesting items." She said to Ezra.

"Like what?" Asked Ezra.

"Well, different bands, evolutionary items, seeds…Useful things."

"But no one can evolve now, thanks to the distortions in the world!" Protested Carys.

"Yes, but we like to obtain these items just in case the day comes when the distortions are no more." Explained Soledad.

"Do you think they will?" Asked Carys.

"Yes." She answered simply.

**12F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"What do Gold Gummis taste like?" Ezra asked Soledad.

"To me, they taste like bread. It makes sense, since psychic-types deal in a lot of mental powers. Grains are very good for the brain, and carbs provide energy for the brain." Said Soledad.

"Bread? Really?" Snorted Ezra.

"What do Purple and Red Gummis taste like?" Soledad asked back.

"Purple tastes like candy, and Red tastes like cinnamon." Reported Ezra.

"Candy and cinnamon? That doesn't make any sense. What do candy and cinnamon have to do with ghost and fire?" Asked Soledad, confused.

"Halloween. Cinnamon is hot, like fire." Said Ezra.

"I'm still confused." Soledad shook her head.

"Me too, with the whole Gold Gummi thing." Agreed Ezra.

**13F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Stars. I mean, Stairs." Said Soledad.

**14F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Wow! My feet are killing me!" Exclaimed Carys.

"You don't use your feet." Reminded Ezra.

"…I know, it was just a figure of speech."

"We must be pretty close by now. I can feel it." Said Soledad.

"Aren't you tired?" Asked Ezra, stopping to rest her aching feet.

"I am, but the knowledge that I will soon be reunited with my tribe gives me the energy to go on." Soledad replied.

"Well, use that energy to defeat that Solrock that's coming for us, will ya? I'm too tired to deal with it." Panted Carys.

"I got it." Sighed Ezra, getting up. "Soledad, come give me a boost, will you?"

**15F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

After a few minutes of wandering and battling, the trio came across something they had never seen before. A large door stood in front of them, with a small keyhole marring the otherwise perfectly smooth exterior.

"What's this?" Asked Carys, trying to open the door. It didn't budge.

"A Sealed Chamber, by the looks of it. I've never seen one before, but I've heard tales of these chambers appearing on certain floors of certain dungeons. I never knew Mt. Sunlight had one." Remarked Soledad.

"How do we open it?" Asked Ezra.

"You need a Key, which can be found in some dungeons or in shops. Do you have one?" Replied Soledad.

"…No." Reported Carys after a second of rummaging through the bag. "But luckily Ez and I are ghost-types. We can just phase through the wall!"

"It's worth a shot." Agreed Ezra.

She faced the wall, willing herself to go right on though. To her excitement, she phased through the wall and into the Sealed Chamber. Inside lay a small, orange, sun-shaped stone laying on the ground. She picked it up and went back to her party.

"Well?" Asked Carys. In response, Ezra held out the stone.

"Oh! A Sun Stone!" Exclaimed Soledad, peering at it. "This stone can cause certain Pokemon—such as Gloom or Sunkern—to evolve! Wow, this is incredible!"

"Would you like it?" Asked Ezra, handing it to Soledad.

"No, no! You keep it. We've no use for it in my tribe. Come on, there may be more Chambers on this floor!"

They searched the entire floor, but they found no other Sealed Chambers. They went back to the Stairs, where they found a sleeping Sewaddle where there hadn't been one before.

"When did that get here? Oh well. Let's not wake it up." Advised Ezra as they tiptoed past the Sewaddle.

**Mt. Sunlight Peak**

They arrived at the mountaintop, where a village filled with Espeon and Eevees greeted them.

"Leader Soledad!" A normal-colored Espeon came running to greet the three. "We thought you had disappeared forever!"

"Worry not, friend. I am here, thanks to these two." Said Soledad, gesturing to Ezra and Carys.

"Oh! Thank you, kind strangers, for giving us our beloved leader back! Please, take some Gold Silk as a token of our appreciation!" The Espeon said, giving the two a gold-colored cloth that was velvety to the touch.

"Gold Silk increases your special attacks and defense, but only if you're a psychic type. It's very rare and valuable." An Eevee explained, coming over.

"Oh, thank you." Said Ezra, feeling the soft silky cloth.

"I cannot thank you enough for escorting me here. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask." Soledad bowed.

"Deal. Oh, it's getting late. We should be heading home. Goodbye, Soledad! See you again!" Called Carys, looking at the setting sun.

"Goodbye, friends." She nodded as the two exited the dungeon.

**What could the kidnapper ever want with bickering siblings? Find out soon!**

**The next post will contain: An invitation to a dark meadow, a brother, and a donut thief.**


	26. Chapter 26

"We three will be leaving tomorrow." Will was saying conversationally at breakfast.

"What? Why?" Asked Carys, looking up from her bucket of candy.

"It's time for us to move on, explore new places. Don't worry, we'll be back." The Treecko replied.

"Good luck on your journey." Nodded Meloetta.

"Thanks." Sam nodded.

"Hello! Ledian's Delivery Service!" An unknown voice said.

They all turned to see a Ledian standing underneath an open window carrying a large bag.

"I'm looking for a Team Banshee. Are any of you named Team Banshee?" He went on, looking at everyone.

"We're Team Banshee." Said Ezra, nodding at Carys.

"Excellent! You have a letter." He said, handing her a small white envelope.

"What does it say?" Asked Carys, stuffing licorice into her mouth.

Ezra opened the envelope and read the contents aloud. "_Dear Team Banshee: Thank you ever so much for escorting my sister, Soledad the Shiny Espeon, back to her tribe atop Mt. Sunlight. As a token of my gratitude, I formally invite you to a party I am hosting tonight at the end of Moonlit Meadow. The theme is 'Sugary Delights'. All food served will be sugary in nature. There will be cake, cookies, pudding, donuts, candy…to name a few. I hope to see you there. –Roran the Shiny Umbreon, brother to Soledad."_

"There'll be candy? I'm sold." Said Carys.

"A dessert party? Wow, that sounds amazing. Wish I could go." Sighed Rose.

"Moonlit Meadow isn't too far from here either." Mused Ranna.

"Well? Are we going?" Asked Carys.

"Didn't Soledad say that she and her brother weren't speaking to each other, though? And now he's thanking us for helping her? Doesn't this seem weird to you?" Asked Ezra, confused.

"Now that you mention it, she did say something to that effect." Frowned Carys.

"Oh, Roran's throwing an apology party for Soledad. She has a sweet tooth, you see, and he wants to mend the rift between them." Ledian cut in.

"Really? Hmm…Well, in that case, I guess it wouldn't hurt." Said Ezra.

"Yay!" Beamed Carys.

"Alright! I'll fly back to Roran and tell him you're coming. Toodles!" Ledian turned, getting ready to leave.

"Wait! Hold on!" Ezra said quickly, an idea coming to her.

"Yes? What is it?" Ledian asked.

"One sec." Ezra said, jumping down from the table and racing to her room.

She took the Grass Shard and slowly dragged it back to the refectory.

"You travel to many places, Ledian?" She asked, panting from the exertion.

"Why yes, I fly all over the continent." He answered.

"Well, when you make your deliveries, could you ask your clients if they've seen anything like this before?" She asked, tapping the Shard. Ledian flew in for a closer look.

"Wow! I've never seen anything like it! What is it?" He asked.

"We don't know. We just call it a Mysterious Shard. We think there may be more out there, but obviously it would take forever to explore each and every dungeon. Could you do us a favor and spread the word that we're looking for these things?" She asked.

"Sure thing! I'll let you know if I hear anything. …Oh my, I've stayed too long. I have to go, lots of parcels to deliver. See you soon!" Ledian said, flying out of the window.

"Thanks Ledian!" Ezra called after him.

"That was a smart idea, asking Ledian to keep an ear out for word on the Shards. I know him well, he'll keep his word." Said Marcus.

"Hopefully he'll hear something. Now, where exactly is Moonlit Meadow?" Asked Ezra, turning back to the table.

"You went to Mt. Sunlight yesterday, right? Moonlit Meadow is a mere two miles northeast from there." Replied Pelipper.

"Great! Let's leave after noon, so we can get there in time." Said Carys.

**Moonlit Meadow ( watch?v=2eyG-JNMInw)**

The entrance to the dungeon held short, springy grass and thick, thorny bushes. There were a few flowers here and there, but for some odd reason their buds were closed, even though it was just after noon.

"Why are the flowers all closed up? Normally they're fully bloomed at this time." Commented Ezra, looking at a silver flower.

"I think these might be moon blossoms. They bloom when moonlight hits them, as opposed to sunlight." Carys supplied helpfully.

"Oh, really? Hm. I guess we'll see what they look like tonight. Shall we?" Ezra offered.

"Yep yep!"

**1F**

"It was nice of Soledad's brother to invite us to his party. I wonder how he knew of our helping Soledad." Wondered Carys.

"Maybe Ledian delivered an invitation to her, and she told her brother? I dunno." Speculated Ezra.

"Probably. Or what if this is all a trap, designed to lure us into a Dark ambush?" Returned Carys.

"I highly doubt that. Soledad would have mentioned if her brother wasn't to be trusted, and Ledian seems to know the two pretty well. I know we just met him, but Ledian seems trustworthy." Interjected Ezra. "…But we'll be cautious once we get to the end, just to be safe."

**2F**

"Ooh, a Lunatone! Can I have it?" Asked Carys, spotting one coming their way down the hall.

"Be my guest." Said Ezra, switching places with Carys.

"Razor Leaf!" Shouted Carys, one-shotting the Lunatone.

Another one came to take its place. It used Cosmic Power, upping its abilities. It subsequently hit Carys with a Psychic, slamming her brutally against the wall.

"Ow! That hurt!" She shouted angrily.

"Need some help?" Ezra asked, grinned wickedly.

"Never! Shadow Sneak!" Stormed Carys, knocking the Lunatone out. This time, a Murkrow appeared.

"Eep! Dark-type! Also a flying-type! Nope! I'm outta here! You deal with it, Ez!" Carys hid behind Ezra, leaving the Litwick vulnerable to attacks.

"Gee, thanks." Ezra said wryly.

"Dark-type moves are super effective against us. Our ghost-type moves won't hurt it much." Warned Carys.

"If I can't Hex it, then I'll just Flame Burst it!" Ezra laughed, sending the attack at the Murkrow.

It dodged, and hit her with a Pursuit. She flew back into Carys, and the two were sent sprawling across the floor. Ezra got up painfully. That Pursuit had hurt!

"Ugh, I see what you mean." She winced, nursing a bruised arm.

The Murkrow flew in for another Pursuit. This time, Ezra was ready. She unleashed an Ember attack when the Murkrow was inches away from her face. The embers burned its face, causing it to halt its attack in order to save itself. While it was distracted, Ezra finished it with a regular attack.

"Hmph. Stupid dark-types." She glared.

"I think this dungeon is dark-type heavy, so let's be careful, otherwise we could be seriously hurt." Warned Carys.

"Good idea." Ezra nodding, wincing as she moved her injured arm.

**3F**

"Stairs. Yay." Spotted Carys.

**4F**

"Ooh, more Stairs!" She said, delighted.

**5F**

"Do you think we can get through the rest of this dungeon without encountering any more dark-types?" Asked Ezra.

"While that would be nice, I highly doubt so. I guess all we can really do is watch out and be safe." Sighed Carys.

"Or you know what we could do, is wall-travel." Suggested Ezra. "That way, we won't have to encounter any."

"We don't have enough apples to do that, Ez. We only have two. We'll faint from hunger if we wall-travel for too long." Carys said.

"Ugh!" Ezra groaned. She had no wish to tangle with more dark-types.

"Sorry to be the killjoy. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and spend the rest of the dungeon unmolested. Maybe the dungeon gods will be kind to us." Said Carys.

**6F**

The dungeon gods were not. They had spawned near a Clefairy and a Golbat.

"You just _had_ to jinx it." Grumbled Ezra as they prepared to fight.

"Sorry! How was I supposed to know the gods were listening to me?" Protested Carys, dodging a Wing Attack from the Zubat.

The Clefairy's fingers started to glow white, and it waved them back and forth.

"Uh-oh. Metronome. This move could be anything!" Warned Carys as they stopped to warily see what move it would be.

Metronome turned out to be Sleep Powder, which sent Ezra into dreamland against her will.

"Nooo…" She mumbled, falling asleep.

Throughout her slumber, she could feel harsh blows being dealt to her. She tried to wake up, but it was in vain. Presently, the effects left her, and she woke up just in time to see an Air Slash headed straight at her face. She could only brace herself, and was nearly knocked out by the blow.

"Ugh!" She grunted, picking herself up. It was difficult, and she desperately needed an Oran Berry.

"Astonish!" Shouted Carys, pummeling into the Zubat and knocking it out. "There! All gone. Have an Oran Berry, quick!" She said, handing one to Ezra.

She ate it gratefully, feeling the strength return to her.

"Thanks for that. Where's Clefairy?" She asked.

"Defeated. You okay?" Asked Carys.

"Yeah, I think so. I don't think I like this dungeon." She winced.

"Me neither. Come on, let's get out as soon as we can."

"Good plan." Ezra nodded.

**7F**

"Stairs are nice. I like Stairs." Laughed Carys.

**8F**

"Aww, no Stairs." Pouted Carys, looking around the freakishly huge chamber.

"Even worse, there's a Murkrow and a Mightyena!" Groaned Ezra, spotting the Pokemon nearby.

"One sec. Razor Leaf!" Shouted Carys, sending the leaves at the far-way Mightyena.

But it was too far, and the move failed.

"Drat! Oh well, I can wait for it to come within my range." She frowned.

Sure enough, Carys hit the Mightyena when it came closer. It shrugged off the blow, and continued forward. She used Razor Leaf again, but it had caught on and was now dodging each attack, getting closer and closer as well.

"Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra at the Murkrow as Carys dealt with the Mightyena.

The Murkrow wasn't quick enough to dodge, and fell. The fire had also hit the Mightyena, and it turned on her, angry. It used Crunch on her, and she screamed in pain.

"Ez! Why you little…Razor Leaf!" Stormed Carys, drawing the Mightyena's attention again. It also used Crunch on Carys, and the little Pumpkaboo fainted, only to be revitalized a second later.

"Carys! Ugh…Ember!" Winced Ezra, drawing upon her inner strength to finish the Mightyena off. She collapsed a second later, dazed.

"Ezra!" Cried Carys, who immediately handed Ezra an Oran Berry and an apple.

"Eat." She ordered.

Ezra obeyed, and felt her strength returning.

"I hate this place." She said miserably.

"I do too. But we'll be done soon. Can you continue?" Sighed Carys in agreement.

"I think so." Said Ezra, slowly getting to her feet.

"Come on, I think I can see the Stairs from here." Said Carys.

**9F**

They had spawned in a large chamber again. Luckily, the only Pokemon with them was a sleeping Lunatone. They slipped past it quietly, not wanting to wake it up. They entered a hallway near the bottom-left corner of the chamber, and dutifully followed it, where they came upon a very large chamber with a sleeping Lunatone.

"Hey…Didn't we just come from here?" Asked Ezra looking behind them at the path. The exit they had originally took lay about thirty feet away.

"I think we did. There's another exit over there. Let's try that one." Suggested Carys, nodding at a path all the way across the room.

As they were crossing the chamber, a Clefairy appeared suddenly. It spotted them, and proceeded to use Metronome.

"Oh no…" Groaned Ezra.

Metronome turned out to be Uproar, and the Clefairy began emitting a screeching cry, instantly waking up the Lunatone.

"Really?" Ezra shouted at the universe.

"I have the Lunatone. You take Clefairy." Said Carys.

"Got it. Ember!" Shouted Ezra, sending the embers onto the now-docile Clefairy.

It countered with a Defense Curl, lessening the damage it took.

"Ergh. Flame Burst!" Ezra tried a stronger attack.

The Clefairy once again used Defense Curl, making this battle so much more aggravating. It then followed up with a Moonblast, which sent Ezra flying into Carys, who was just launching a Razor Leaf.

"Razor Le—waaah!" Cried Carys, startled, as her Razor Leaf was knocked off course. It harmlessly hit the wall.

"Sorry." Ezra apologized, getting up.

"S'all right. Shadow Sneak!" Said Carys, knocking out the Lunatone. She followed up with a Razor Leaf, which finally knocked out Clefairy.

"Thanks. That Clefairy was tough." Remarked Ezra as they left the chamber.

The path they took was a short one, and it led to the room with the Stairs.

**10F**

"Hey Ez, my Pickup Ability got us a Luminous Orb! Wanna use it?" Asked Carys.

"Heck yeah!" Said Ezra, who wanted to get out of the dungeon as soon as possible.

"Alright, here I go!" Said Carys, breaking the Orb. "…Which one's the Stairs?" She asked.

"The blue square. Red dots are enemies, blue dots are items, yellow dot is me, and white dot is you." Ezra supplied helpfully, remembering her own experience with the Orb.

"Oh, okay. Thanks. The Stairs are two chambers away from here." Said Carys, leading the way.

"I bet I can beat you shouting 'Stairs!' when we see them on the next floor." Said Ezra.

"You're on. First one to call them out wins!" Grinned Carys as they ascended the Stairs.

**11F**

"Stairs!" "Stairs!" "Hah, I beat you!" Gloated Ezra, seconds after they had spawned.

"You did not!" Stormed Carys.

"I think I did."

"No."

"Uh-huh."

"No."

"Yup."

"I think not."

"Can we just go to the next floor already?"

**12F**

They eventually found the Stairs, but a Clefairy was in the way.

"Ugh! Move already!" Complained Ezra, who was thoroughly sick of this dungeon.

It did not, and responded with a Wake-Up Slap, which had little effect on her.

"Hah, nice try." Snorted Ezra, using a regular attack.

Suddenly, a strange feeling came over her. She looked at the Clefairy more closely, and found that it was actually quite handsome.

"Say…you're kinda cute." She gasped, her heart speeding up as a delicious feeling washed over her. She had never expected to find love in this world, and in a dungeon, of all places!

"Ez! Snap out of it! It's just Clefairy's Ability, Cute Charm!" Snapped Carys.

Ezra ignored her. Carys couldn't see the true love that was in front of her. The Clefairy hit her with a regular attack, and she giggled at the love tap.

"Oh for the love of…Razor Leaf!" Sighed Carys, making the Clefairy faint.

Almost instantly, Ezra's feelings of love evaporated.

"Wh…What…?" She said, confused.

"Cute Charm makes you fall in love with your opponent. It messes with your emotions." Explained Carys.

"O-Oh…" Said Ezra, feeling rather sad at losing those curious feelings that were love.

It had felt nice, and she was sad to lose them. A part of her mind told her that the feelings she had felt were false, but her heart wouldn't listen.

"I know you think that you were truly in love, but it was just an illusion. People don't physically injure those they love." Carys said sympathetically.

"I know…" Ezra sighed.

"You'll find someone someday, Ez. But not in a dungeon. Come on, let's go clear that lovesick head of yours with some exploring." Carys rubbed up against her comfortingly.

"Alright." Ezra sighed.

**13F**

"Stairs! My second-favorite inanimate object!" Squealed Carys.

"The first being candy, I presume?" Asked Ezra, amused. She had gotten over her false infatuation after multiple battles on the previous floor.

"You bet your blue flame it is!"

**14F**

"Hey, Ez, on the next floor, let's search for a Sealed Chamber! Mt. Sunlight had one, and this _is_ the sister dungeon, so it might have one!" Carys suggested.

"I guess it's worth a shot." Agreed Ezra.

"Sweet! What do you think this one will have?" Asked Carys.

"I don't know, I haven't studied the different evolution items quite yet."

"Oh! They come in many forms. The most common type are stones, but there are other types such as scarves, rocks, various and sundry items, the Link Cable, and ribbons. You hold the item you need to evolve, and you go to a place called Luminous Spring. There, you evolve, and the item disappears." Explained Carys.

"Huh, interesting. Hmm, since Mt. Sunlight had a Sun Stone, what do you think the next floor will have?" Asked Ezra.

"Maybe a Dusk Stone?" Offered Carys.

"Well, I guess there's only one way to find out." Said Ezra.

**15F**

"Here it is." Said Ezra, phasing back out into the other chamber.

They had found the Sealed Chamber, and Ezra had brought back a small purple stone.

"Ooh, I was right! It was a Dusk Stone!" Carys exclaimed.

"What kinds of Pokemon use it?" Inquired a curious Ezra as they moved on in search of the Stairs.

"Murkrow, Misdreavus, Doublade, and Lampent. So, if you decide to evolve once the distortions stop, you could eventually become a Chandelure." Said Carys. "Do you think you'll want to evolve?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Ezra replied truthfully. "I'm rather fond of this form as it is right now, but the thought of turning into something else does intrigue me. I'll have to think about it some more. What about you?"

"Well…I've been a Pumpkaboo for so long, I wouldn't know how to act as anything else. But, Gourgeists have arms, which I desperately desire the use of. You've no idea how hard it is to function without arms or hands. On the other hand, I wouldn't know what to do with arms, having gone without them for so long. Like you, I'll have to think on it." Replied Carys.

"Fair enough. We'll deal with it once we have that option." Nodded Ezra.

**Moonlit Garden**

The sun was well on its way to setting when they finally exited the dungeon. There were Umbreon, Espeon, and Eevees everywhere, getting ready for what appeared to be a banquet. This, then, had to be the home of Roran's pack.

"Oh! Team Banshee!" A green Espeon noticed them.

"Welcome!" She said, bounding over to them with an Umbreon in tow.

"Soledad! Good to see you again!" Laughed Carys.

"Roran, this is Carys and Ezra of Team Banshee. Ezra and Carys, this is my older brother, Roran." Soledad introduced them to the Umbreon at her side.

"So you two are the kind souls who aided my sister. Welcome to my humble home atop the Moonlit Meadow. I hope your trip here wasn't too strenuous. Seeing as how you two are both ghost-types, I hope the dungeon wasn't too challenging." Roran rumbled, concerned. He was black like a normal Umbreon, but his rings were blue instead of yellow.

"It was tough at times, but we pulled through. A pleasure to meet you." Said Ezra, shaking Roran's forepaw.

"That gladdens me. Come; allow me to show you around. We're starting to set the tables, so there will be many Pokemon running to and fro. Once the moon rises, we'll commence with the feast." Said Roran, leading them through the village.

"The reason why my brother kicked me out when I was brought here is because he was afraid I would see what he was up to. He wanted to surprise me with a sugar buffet, as an apology for our fight." Soledad explained, rubbing up against her brother, who nuzzled her in return.

"Hiya!" Said a familiar voice.

"Ledian! What are you doing here?" Asked Ezra, surprised to see the delivery Pokemon.

"I was invited too! After all, I was the one who delivered the invitations. Glad to see you two again! No word about your Shards, unfortunately." He said, joining the tour.

"That's alright. It's only Day 1, after all." Ezra said.

"True, true! Well, I've gotta go help the others set the tables. I'll see you in a bit!" Ledian flew off, setting small cakes on a large platter.

"He's been a big help," Roran said as they moved on. "He's the only one here who has hands, so he's made moving things around so much easier. We really do appreci—"

"HEY! Intruder alert!" A voice cried out from a nearby structure.

"Trouble!" Exclaimed Soledad as the four ran to investigate.

The building the alarm came from held a vast amount of donuts waiting to be moved to the tables. In the middle of the pile, stuffing its face, was a tiny, purple-and-pink Pokemon with yellow markings. It had a mainly purple body, with brown horns, pink wrists and "hair", and yellow rings all over its body. A yellow ring lay on the ground nearby.

"Ez…Look at the arms..." Carys whispered.

The intruder's arms were purple, with a pink wrist and mitten-like hands.

"The kidnapper!" Ezra exclaimed in horror. The kidnapper of the Lake Trio and Soledad was actually here!

"I'm no kidnapper!" The little Pokemon protested, its mouth full of donuts.

"This is the Pokemon that placed me here?" Asked Soledad, amazed. "He's so tiny though."

"Oh, you came back!" The kidnapper exclaimed delightedly as he noticed Soledad, clapping his hands. "You ran away from here when I helped you, but you came right back!"

"I wouldn't call kidnapping 'helping'." She said sardonically.

"I didn't kidnap you. I saw what your brother was doing, so I saved you a trip through the dungeon!" He explained. "But you left, and now you had to go through the dungeon."

"My brother wasn't ready for me yesterday. Even if he had been, you gave me a terrible fright." Soledad glared.

The purple Pokemon shrugged. "Sorry."

"Enough of this! What are you doing here?" Roran demanded, the fur on the back of his neck rising.

"I wanted donuts." The Pokemon said simply.

"You can't have any more. They don't belong to you." Ezra chastised.

Something didn't seem right. The kidnapper was right here, and yet he acted more child than evil captor.

"But I like them!" He protested.

"Ergh. What have you done to the Lake Trio?" Carys demanded. "If you've hurt them in any way…"

"I didn't hurt them!" He exclaimed. "I would never hurt the Lake Trio! Honest!"

"This is the Pokemon who kidnapped the Lake Trio?" The Umbreon who had raised the alarm was confused.

"I used my hoop to bring them to my home." The tiny Pokemon nodded at the yellow ring beside him.

"Where are they? Let them go!" Ezra demanded hotly.

"Sorry, but I can't tell you, or let them go." The kidnapper looked at his loop, and suddenly the ring led to another place. It grew bigger, and he made as if to leave.

"No you don't!" Cried Ezra, sending out a Night Shade.

The little Pokemon jumped in the loop, dodging.

"Ooh, that was fun!" He said from behind. They turned to find him standing outside, his loop floating in the air and leading to another place.

Carys sent a Razor Leaf, and again he dodged by jumping in his hoop.

"Haha! I like you two!" He giggled, this time from inside the building again. "Tomorrow, let's play hide-and-seek! I'll be hiding somewhere on Mystical Bluff. If you find me, I'll let you see the Lake Trio! Bye-bye!" And with that, he jumped back into his loop and disappeared.

"Argh! We were _so close_!" Seethed Ezra.

"You still have a chance to catch him, at Mystical Bluff tomorrow." Reminded Soledad.

"But that dungeon is miles away from here, on the southeastern part of the continent." Frowned Roran.

"Even so, we have to try and catch him." Said Carys.

"How do you know he'll be true to his word?" Asked Soledad.

"I have a feeling he'll be there." Ezra said slowly. "He seemed to take a shining to Carys and I. I don't think he'll pass up the chance to toy with us."

"Well, I wish you luck." Soledad shook her head.

As the moon rose, the banquet began. Roran opened with a heartfelt apology to his beloved sister, and the two tribes rejoiced to see the siblings back on good terms. Ezra stuffed herself with everything that was offered to her, enjoying the various desserts. Carys tried a few things, but she mainly stuck with candy, her eternal favorite. As the evening wore on, the meal did too. Ezra noticed that it was very late when the feast drew to a close.

"Oh my, we need to get back home!" She exclaimed, looking up at the sky. The moon was almost overhead.

"You two can spend the night here. Mystical Bluff is a long way from here, and it's closer to us than to Lily Town." Offered Roran.

"Maybe, but the others must be worried about us." Carys frowned.

"I can fly over and let them know. It's not too far from here to Lily Town." Offered Ledian.

"You sure?" Asked Ezra.

"Yep! I don't mind. In fact, I really need to work off all this sugar. I would welcome the chance to fly there and back."

"If you insist." Frowned Ezra.

"I'll take off immediately. I'll be back soon!" Ledian said as he flew into the night.

"We should probably go to bed, if we're to face the kidnapper tomorrow." Suggested Carys.

"Good idea. We'll need all of our strength if we're to face the Lake Trio's captor."

**Face off with the kidnapper soon! Oh man! :o The end of Chapter 6 is almost here!**

**The next post shall contain: an empty bluff, a trick, and an alluring rift.**


	27. Chapter 27

"Do you have everything you need?" Asked Soledad as Ezra and Carys prepared to set off the next day.

"I think so. Thanks for letting us stay the night, Roran." Ezra said, nodding at the Umbreon.

"It was my pleasure. Go forth to Mystical Bluff, and bring the Lake Trio's kidnapper to justice!" He rumbled.

"Will do. Farewell!" Nodded Carys.

"Goodbye!" "Bye!" The siblings called as the two departed for the dungeon where the kidnapper was supposedly lying in wait.

**Mystical Bluff ( watch?v=xvq-8vfVGBY)**

The dungeon was located by the sea, and as such the terrain was made of stone that had been eroded smooth by countless waves. Light pink crystals littered the floor and walls, emitting a soft light and giving the area an ethereal atmosphere.

"Here we are. You ready?" Asked Ezra.

"Always." Nodded Carys.

**1F**

They spawned in a dungeon with a similar design to the entrance, albeit with ponds of water scattered throughout the terrain.

"Ooh, the welcoming committee's here! Hello!" Greeted Carys at a Klefki who had wandered into the chamber.

"Let's see, Klefki's a steel- and fairy-type. Steel is resistant to grass, and ghost works normally. Fire would be best, unless you want to take it?" Remembered Ezra.

"Nah, you can have it. I'm more interested in what's in the corner." Said Carys, eyeing something lying on the floor nearby.

"Suit yourself. I'll go—ouch!" Ezra cried, surprised by a Foul Play from the Klefki.

Ezra scowled, angry at having let herself be distracted.

"Okay, that made me mad! Flame Burst!" She shouted bathing the Klefki in fire. It fell easily, having stood no chance against an angry fire-type.

"Hey, when you're done burning Pokemon to a crisp, would ya mind coming over here?" Called Carys. Ezra calmed back down and headed over to her friend.

"What's up?" She said.

"Look at this thing! It's a Stamina Band! It slows down fatigue and hunger." Said Carys, holding out a pink scarf.

"Really? This little piece of cloth does that?" Ezra asked, a bit skeptical.

"Oh sure! They're very useful things to find in a dungeon. Would you like it?" Carys offered.

"No thanks, you can have it." Ezra shook her head. She didn't quite believe that a plain pink scarf could slow down hunger.

"Sweet! Thanks! Could you put in on for me?" Asked Carys.

"Sure." Ezra tied the pink band around Carys's neck.

"Yay!" Squealed Carys, doing a backflip.

**2F**

"That little Pokemon yesterday…it's kind of hard to believe that he is the kidnapper." Remarked Ezra as they were walking down a corridor.

"I know what you mean. He's really just a little kid, and you wouldn't think him an evil person." Agreed Carys.

"Maybe he's insane, and his childlike personality is a part of it." Speculated Ezra, shuddering.

"Ooh, maybe so. He kidnaps the Lake Trio because he's lonely and wants "friends" to play with. I hope the Lake Trio are okay." Shivered Carys.

"Well, once we get to the end of this dungeon, we're going to find him and make him tell us where he's keeping the Trio." Said Ezra determinedly.

"Right." Carys agreed seriously.

**3F**

"Mystical Stairs for Mystical Bluff." Laughed Carys, as they spawned.

**4F**

They had been walking for some time when they came to a chamber with an apple.

"Oh thank Arceus, an apple! We're so low on them." Said Carys.

The two walked over to the apple when all of a sudden, the floor gave way under Ezra's feet until she hit a tile of some sort.

"What the…?" She said, looking at the tile. It had a brown, fuzzy-looking circle on it.

She heard a click from above, and she looked up just in time for fuzzy bowling balls to fall on her head.

"Ouch! Oof! Ow!" She grimaced as she was hit.

Finally, the bowling balls stopped falling, and she got up, nursing a raging headache.

"Ooh, chestnuts!" Grinned Carys, looking at the things that had hit Ezra.

Throughout her pain, Ezra could see that the fuzzy "bowling balls" were indeed chestnuts as was indicated on the tile.

"Ugh, my head…what just happened?" She grimaced, still in pain.

"Uh…A Chestnut Trap, I think?" Frowned Carys, thinking.

"Wait. There are traps in here?" Demanded Ezra.

"Yeah, traps are all over the place in a lot of dungeons. I guess Mystical Bluff happens to be one of them." Carys shrugged.

Ezra groaned. "The kidnapper just _had_ to pick a place where there are traps that hurt you?!"

"You gotta admit, it does make sense."

"Hush."

**5F**

"How can we afford to explore if we can't trust our eyes to spot traps?" Demanded Ezra, refusing to budge.

"Well, you can regular-attack everything around you, get an item that will make traps visible, or keep on going regardless of danger. I would suggest the third option." Said Carys.

"I'd rather there be no traps in the first place. Those chestnuts _hurt!_" Ezra sighed, grudgingly allowing Carys to lead her through the floor. Luckily for Ezra, they managed to avoid stepping on a trap for the rest of the floor.

**6F **

The floor was business as usual. They fought enemy Pokemon, picked up items, and searched for the Stairs. They had just entered a large chamber, and were heading towards the corridor all the way across the room. Ezra was starting to think that the Chestnut Trap was just a freak of dungeon nature when she suddenly felt multiple sharp pains piercing her feet.

"OWWW!" She howled as her feet were punctured brutally.

She sat down, nursing her wounds. A tile with multiple holes had appeared where she had been standing a second ago.

"Ezra! Are you okay?" Exclaimed Carys, coming over.

"I…I think so." Ezra sniffed as the punctures were sealed by the wax that was her body.

As she said that, her head started spinning, and she felt quite ill all of a sudden.

"No…" She redacted her previous statement, feeling queasy.

"Do you feel sick?" Asked Carys. Ezra could only nod.

"A Poison Trap, and naturally we don't have any Pecha Berries. Only thing we can do is find the Stairs. Status effects are immediately removed upon entering the next floor. Do you think you can stand?" Carys asked.

"Maybe." Said Ezra. She managed to get up and walk a few steps, but each step made her weaker and weaker.

"Come on, we need to find those Stairs, quick." Said Carys, leading the way.

They crossed the room and searched the rest of the dungeon for the Stairs. In the meantime, Ezra's vision was going blacker and blacker, and she was finding it increasingly harder to stay awake. Finally, they found the Stairs. It was a good thing too, as Ezra was two seconds away from succumbing to the poison.

"Here we are!" Cried Carys as she climbed the Stairs for Ezra, who had collapsed on the floor.

**7F**

Ezra was just falling unconscious when she was teleported to the next floor. Almost instantly, the poison dissipated, leaving her very weak but still awake. Her head was still spinning from the drain on her energy, but Carys shoved an Oran Berry into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed, feeling well again in seconds.

"Thank you so much. I was afraid I wasn't going to make it there for a second." Ezra said, hugging Carys.

"No prob. I'm just glad I made it in time. You feeling better?" Asked Carys.

"Yeah, much better. Let's get back to it, shall we?" Ezra smiled.

"Yes!" Grinned Carys as they set out again.

They hadn't been walking far when they encountered a Lileep blocking their way in a corridor.

"Let's see if I truly am feeling better." Ezra said wickedly. "Ember!"

The Lileep, after being hit, turned and ran, wanting to fight no longer.

"No you don't!" Shouted Ezra, finishing it by using an extra-fiery Flame Burst.

"I see you're doing just fine." Carys commented mildly.

**8F**

They had spawned in the same room as the Stairs, along with a Carbink. Luckily, they were closer to the Stairs than they were to the Carbink.

"Nice try, sucker!" Taunted Carys as they left the foe behind.

**9F**

They met another Carbink shortly after they had spawned. It was almost as if the Carbink followed them to the next floor, but it was impossible, as dungeon Pokemon were incapable of climbing the Stairs.

"Razor Leaf!" Shouted Carys happily.

But, the Carbink used Reflect, thus rendering the attack harmless.

"Hmm, should we double-team it from two different sides?" Pondered Ezra.

"Worth a shot." Agreed Carys.

"Ember!" Said Ezra, distracting the Carbink as Carys moved behind it. Like before, it used Reflect.

"Ready? Hex!" "Razor Leaf!" Ezra and Carys said together. The Carbink blocked Ezra, but hadn't been paying attention to Carys. Caught completely off guard, it fell quickly to Carys' follow-up Astonish.

"Yeah! Teamwork!" Shouted Carys, grinning widely.

**10F**

"Whew, I'm getting tired. Are you?" Asked Ezra after they had beaten a Graveler and a Mawile.

"No. I'm wearing a Stamina Band, remember? I'm still full of energy!" Carys shook her head, twirling in midair. "You can borrow it if you want."

Ezra hesitated. She still didn't quite believe in the Stamina Band's effects (Rather, she thought them to be a placebo), but if the placebo effect was working on Carys…

"Sure." She found herself saying.

She took the Band off of Carys and tied it around her own neck. Strangely, she could have sworn she felt the tiniest tingle go through her as she put it on, but she dismissed it as her imagination. She ate an apple to give herself an extra boost, and they continued on.

**11F**

"I care about the fare of Stairs. I couldn't bear it if the fair Stairs weren't in this lair." Carys said, cracking a grin.

**12F**

"You and your rhymes." Ezra said, shaking her head in amusement.

"You're lucky nothing rhymes with 'Ezra', or I would give you a rhyme too." Carys said.

"Are you going to embarrass the heiress on the terrace, Carys?" Ezra grinned mischievously.

"I am!" Carys declared seriously, going along with the joke.

Ezra and Carys spent many minutes laughing together.

**13F**

"I love it when the dungeon decides to give us an easy floor." Carys sighed in bliss.

"It's wonderful." Agreed Ezra.

**Mystical Bluff Clearing**

They had made to the end of the dungeon, where the kidnapper said he would be hiding.

The area was on a cliff that overlooked the ocean. A curious monument lay near the edge of the cliff. Mounted on a large stand was a giant yellow ring, similar to the one the kidnapper had.

"Wow!" Exclaimed Carys, looking at the ring as they came closer.

"Ooh, long way down." Shuddered Ezra as she peered over the edge of the cliff.

She backed away from the edge, in no mood to fall to her death into the ocean. She'd either drown or become a Litwick pancake.

"He said he'd be hiding here. Well, where is he? There are not many places he can hide up here. Aside from a few boulders here and there, and that ring, there's nothing here." Said Carys, frowning.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to check everywhere." Ezra shrugged, going to look behind the boulders by the exit.

They searched and searched, but there was no trace of the little purple Pokemon.

"You see him?" Called Carys, who was searching the cliffside in case he was hiding in an alcove underneath them.

"No." Responded Ezra, who had broken every boulder with a Flame Burst, just in case he was magically hiding in one.

They met in the middle of the clearing.

"He lied. He said he'd be here, and he's not." Sighed Ezra, who had been looking forward to bringing the kidnapper to justice.

"Yeah…As much as I hate to give up, there's no way he's here. The only thing we can do is go home." Carys agreed sadly.

"Before we go, I'd like to look at that statue again." Said Ezra, walking over to the loop.

"Why is this thing here? Is it an homage to the kidnapper?" She wondered aloud, climbing on top of the stand and looking through the loop.

"I've no idea why it's here." Commented Carys, staring at Ezra through the other side of the loop.

"Hm. I guess we'll never know. Come on, let's go." Ezra said, offering her hand through the loop.

Carys's eyes grew wide, and she took a step back.

"Ezra! Your hand disappeared!" She exclaimed, startled.

"What?" Ezra pulled her arm back and looked at it. Everything was there.

"No, no, when you put your arm through the loop, it didn't come through the other side! Do it again!" Instructed Carys.

Ezra obliged gingerly, and nearly fainted when part of her arm vanished as she put it through the loop.

"Waah! What's happening?" She yelled, unsure how to feel.

"Lemme try! You go to the other side." Said Carys, switching places with Ezra.

"I'm going to try to fly through it." Said Carys as Ezra watched from the other side.

Carys braced herself and flew right through the loop—where she disappeared.

"Carys!" Screamed Ezra, startled.

To her immense relief, Carys reappeared a moment later.

"Ez! There's another dungeon on the other side of this thing! You _have_ to see it!" She exclaimed.

"What? How?" Frowned Ezra.

"I don't know! All I know is that we still might have a chance to find the kidnapper! I wouldn't put it past him to be hiding behind this space-warping loop thing." Said Carys, excited.

"I guess. O-okay, I'm coming." Ezra said dauntingly, walking through the loop. She half-expected to walk onto the other half of the stand, but to her surprise, she found herself in the middle of a cave.

The terrain was smooth, grayish-pink stone, with pink crystals everywhere and will-o-the-wisps giving off soft light every few feet. It was…mesmerizing.

"Whoa. You weren't kidding." She said, awed.

"Amazing, isn't it? Come on, I have a feeling that our little friend is waiting at the end." Said Carys.

"Hopefully." Ezra nodded.

**Alluring Rift ( watch?v=z4wEK6dar0s)**

**1F**

"How like the kidnapper to almost trick us into thinking he wasn't there back at the cliff." Commented Carys.

"Well, to be fair, he wasn't _technically_ at the cliff, just as he may not be at the end of the dungeon." Ezra said back.

"Don't be a killjoy. You saw him at the dessert banquet. He likes to mess with other people. No, he's nearby. He had to have been watching us when we arrived at the cliff, to see if we would figure the trick out or not." Carys shook her head.

"I thought you said you didn't study psychology." Said Ezra, half-seriously. Carys did have a point.

"Field work does wonders, Ez."

**2F**

They came across a Klefki and a Mawile in a chamber. Unfortunately, the only exit was to the lower-right side of the room, behind the two foes.

"Ugh, I really don't want to waste time by battling." Complained Ezra as the two drew closer, menacingly.

"We'll make this quick. I have Klefki, you take Mawile." Said Carys as the two fanned out, separating the foes.

"On it. Yah!" Shouted Ezra, attacking the Mawile with an Ember.

It grabber her with the jaws on its head, and bit down cruelly with a Crunch. She screamed in pain, and tried in vain to free herself.

Carys, meanwhile, was having no better luck. Her attempts to Confuse Ray Klefki were met with Crafty Shield, rendering her attack useless.

"Okay, if you want to be like that…" She frowned at the Klefki, trying a Shadow Sneak instead. It hit, but since Klefki was a steel-type, didn't do too much damage.

"Argh!" Carys howled in frustration, using Razor Leaf instead. It, too, didn't do much.

"Forget this." She frowned, noticing Ezra in trouble. Her friend was being Crunched over and over again by Mawile.

"Go to bed." Carys told Klefki, flinging a Sleep Seed at it.

It obeyed unwillingly.

Now Carys could help Ezra. "Confuse Ray!"

Ezra's senses were flooded with pain from multiple Crunch attacks. Then without warning, she was released from Mawile's grip. Once the pain had lessened and she could focus again, she saw that Mawile had been hit with a Confuse Ray, and was being attacked by Carys.

Seeing that Carys' attacks weren't that effective, Ezra helped her friend out with an Ember, which took out the Mawile.

"Thanks for that." Ezra winced.

"Yup. Let's run before Klefki wakes up. I had to use a Sleep Seed on it because I couldn't do anything to it." Suggested Carys, looking at the sleeping foe.

"Good idea." Ezra nodded as they ran from the chamber.

**3F**

"Why do you think the kidnapper took the Lake Trio?" Wondered Carys as they trekked on.

"Like you said earlier, maybe he's lonely and doesn't have any friends. Or maybe he's bored. Or is holding them for ransom. There are so many reasons why he did the thing he did." Ezra shook her head.

"Well, he did say that if we found him we could see the Trio. So, there's that." Carys said optimistically.

"Only if he's true to his word. And if he's actually _here_." Ezra sighed.

"Have faith, Ez. We'll find him soon. If the Trio are with him, then we'll free them." Comforted Carys.

"If they can't free themselves from captivity, then how can we?" Objected Ezra.

"Because there will be five of us and one of him." Carys said determinedly.

"You're so sure that he's here?"

"Yes."

"…Well, if you're so confident, I will try to have hope too."

**4F**

"I love spawning with Stairs, but I love it even more in this place, for they lead us closer and more quickly to the kidnapper." Stated Carys.

**5F**

"Ez, look! That chamber ahead has lots of Gummis!" Squealed Carys, nodding ahead.

From what Ezra could see of the room, it had multiple Wonder Tiles and Gummis.

"Let's grab 'em, then!" She grinned.

They raced into the chamber, only for something horrifying to appear. Multiple Pokemon suddenly fell from the ceiling, almost filling the floor completely. **(Pause Crystal Cave or whatever other soundtrack you're listening to. Open new tab, if you can. watch?v=zi6mJFVQnAo Enjoy.)**

"A Monster House! Let's get out of here!" Shrieked Carys.

"What's a Monster House?" Asked Ezra as they were chased by at least twenty Pokemon

"In some dungeons, in some chambers, Pokemon fall from the ceiling in hordes." Carys explained between breaths.

They ran into a chamber, where they spotted an exit. Focused solely on escaping, Ezra did not expect to run into a trap. This time, she fell through a grate set in the floor.

"_Ahhhhhhhhh!"_She screamed, falling.

**6F (Close Monster House Tab. Unpause Crystal Cave/Whatever)**

Ezra hit the ground hard, knocking the air out of her lungs. When she could breathe again, she picked herself up, shaking her head clear of pain.

"Ow…" She muttered distastefully.

"You okay?" Asked Carys, appearing next to her.

"Ugh…I think so. Lemme guess, you were teleported to me?" Ezra winced as she got up.

"Yup. At least we escaped that Monster House. Pitfall traps: gotta love 'em." Carys said sarcastically.

"For real." Agreed Ezra.

**7F**

"Stairs. Gotta love 'em." Grinned Carys.

"I certainly love them more than Pitfall Traps and Monster Houses." Ezra scowled at the recent memory.

**8F**

"Hopefully there will be no traps or Monster Houses on this floor." Ezra sighed.

"Maybe, but here's another apple!" Carys beamed, picking it up. "You hungry?"

"Nah. You?"

"Not really. Should we wall-travel?" Asked Carys.

"Sure." Agreed Ezra. They used the walls to travel, avoiding enemies while having their hunger drained. Or at least, Carys' hunger was draining. Ezra still had the Stamina Band.

"Ooh. Dizzy." Carys winced, flying low to the ground.

"Oh! I forgot I was wearing your Stamina Band. Here, take it." Ezra gave Carys the band back.

"Thanks. Let's…find those Stairs quickly." Carys frowned miserably.

"Don't forget, we have apples." Reminded Ezra, giving Carys one.

"Yeah." She nodded, eating it.

They found the Stairs not too long after that.

**9F**

"Should we wall-travel again?" Asked Ezra.

"I'd rather not. We only have one apple left, and I don't know if that's going to do anything. I think it's best if we go through the floor properly." Carys shook her head.

"Fair enough." Ezra nodded as they got moving again.

A Graveler came to block their way just as they were about to enter a chamber.

"Go away!" Yelled Carys, using Shadow Sneak from behind Ezra.

Ezra voiced her own displeasure by using Hex. The Graveler tanked the blows, and promptly Self-destructed, creating a very small chamber around them. Since the two were ghost-types, they shrugged off the damage, but the Graveler wasn't so fortunate. Already weak from the Shadow Sneak and Hex, the damage dealt to itself was enough to knock it out.

"…Well. That was unexpected." Ezra said, surprised at the unintentional sacrifice.

"It was." Carys agreed, equally surprised. "You know what's also surprising? The Stairs are in this chamber!"

"Stop breaking the fourth wall." Glared Ezra.

"Sorry."

**10F**

"Oh, yay, Stairs." Noticed Carys.

—**Waypoint—**

They came to a waypoint as the terrain grew noticeably steeper and dimmer.

"We've come a long way already, and we still have more to go." Remarked Ezra as she went to touch the Kangaskhan statue.

"Indeed. Somewhere up ahead lies the kidnapper. Let's be cautious when we face him." Warned Carys.

"Right." Agreed Ezra as they trekked higher.

**Traps and Monster Houses: everyone's favorite mechanics! The reason I put them off for so long is because I thought it was fitting to introduce these tricks when introducing a tricky Pokemon :3**

**The next post (Chapter 6 finale-!) will contain: Unexpected developments, surprises, and bewildering declarations. **


	28. Chapter 28

**Upper Alluring Rift ( watch?v=2s3uLEmw8fM)**

**1F**

"We may have to fight him." Carys was saying. "He's probably very powerful, if he can easily hold three major legendaries at once."

"If it comes to a fight, I'm ready." Ezra nodded. "He won't get away with what he did. The Lake Trio don't deserve captivity."

"No." Carys agreed, falling silent.

The two didn't speak much for the rest of the floor, worried about the Lake Trio's health. The kidnapper had said that he hadn't hurt them, but there was no way to tell if he was truthful or not.

**2F**

They spawned next to the Stairs. Uncharacteristically, Carys made no comments. How could she, when lives might soon be on the line?

**3F**

"Night Shade!" Ezra yelled, attacking a Carbink. It countered with Reflect, and a taunting glint seemed to appear in its eyes.

"Argh! Carys, I think a double-team tactic is needed." Ezra scowled as she was hit with a Power Gem. She steeled herself against the damaging blow and got back up, although not without some difficulty.

"On it." Said Carys, coming to stand next to Ezra.

But as she did, the floor gave way to a trap. This time, pink gas was emitted from holes in the floor. The gas dissipated right away, but it was clear what the effects were.

"Oh…nighty-night…" Said Carys as she fell to the ground with a thud, fast asleep.

"Naturally." Ezra muttered under her breath as she braced herself for a Flail from Carbink.

The blow didn't do too much damage to her, and she was delighted to see that Carbink had been burned by Flame Body. It ran around in circles, in pain.

"Hex!" Cried Ezra, taking advantage of its distraction.

Between the attack and its burn wounds, the Carbink stood no chance.

"Come on, Carys. Get up." She said, nudging her friend. But Carys was far away in dreamland. Ezra had no choice but to wait until Carys woke up.

It took some time, but she did.

**4F**

"We only have one apple, right?" Asked Ezra.

"Yep." Carys nodded, albeit solemnly.

"You have your Stamina Band, so I think you'll be okay for the rest of the dungeon. As for myself, I'll try to hold off as long as I can." Planned Ezra.

"Sounds good." Said Carys, nodding.

As they rounded a corner, they came across a Mawile.

"Flame Burst." Said Ezra. It tanked the attack and hit her with a Sucker Punch, knocking her to the ground and making her see stars for a second.

"I got it." Said Carys as she finished the Mawile off with a Shadow Sneak.

"Ugh….thanks." Winced Ezra, getting back to her feet. "Can I have an Oran Berry?"

"We're all out." Carys replied unhappily.

"What?! Oh man, I don't know if I can make it otherwise." Ezra frowned. She was in a lot of pain from the Sucker Punch.

"I guess the only thing you can do is shake it off." Carys suggested, shrugging sadly.

"I guess. Wanna take the lead while I recover?" Sighed Ezra.

"Sure."

**5F**

"Here they are." Ezra said, noticing the Stairs as they spawned.

"Yeah." Carys agreed.

**6F**

They didn't speak at all for this floor, save for announcing their attacks, and even that was half-hearted at best. Each Pokemon was caught up in her own thoughts, which were parallel to the other's. The two were deathly afraid of what they would find when they arrived at the end of the dungeon, and they were also afraid of the kidnapper. It would surely take an insane and omnipotent Pokemon to abduct Pokemon that were involved in the creation of the world while retaining a childish mindset. Surely the kidnappings were a result of the purple thing's twisted, demented thoughts. Such speculations chilled them to the bone, and they barely noticed when they found the Stairs.

**7F**

"Night Shade." Said Ezra, finishing off a Graveler that had been attacking them.

Another one came to take its place, and opened with a Magnitude. The floor shook violently, and Ezra and Carys were jostled this way and that. Carys wasn't terribly injured, but the rumble left Ezra feeling weak. Carys hit it with a Shadow Sneak, but it shrugged off the blow and dealt Ezra a knockout Rock Slide.

She saw white as she was instantly revived, and the sudden burst of energy gave her the strength to land a KO blow of her own that came in the form of a Hex attack.

"How many Reviver Seeds do we have left?" She turned to Carys.

"Two." Carys reported a second later.

Ezra winced. She didn't think that would be sufficient to take down the kidnapper.

"I know, it's not a lot. But it'll have to make do." Carys sighed.

"It'll have to." Ezra echoed sadly.

**8F**

"I think we should go over strategies to use when we fight him." Carys said quietly, referring to the tiny purple heathen they met at Moonlit Meadow.

"Not a bad call. Our double-team tactic seems to work very well." Remarked Ezra.

"It does, but I'm worried about his space-warping abilities. I'm sure he's going to dodge by jumping into his hoop over and over again." Said Carys, troubled.

"Hmm…What if you Confuse Ray him and I destroy his hoop? That way, he won't be able to dodge as easily."

"I'd have to hit him first, and I don't know how I'm going to do that." Sighed Carys.

"You remember when we tricked Scizor into eating a Seed? I'm thinking we could do the same to him." Reminded Ezra.

"…He seems like a curious Pokemon, with childlike wonder. That could actually work." Carys nodded in approval.

"Alright, so we get him to hurt himself, you confuse Ray him, I get rid of his hoop, and we go to town. When he's defeated, we free the Trio and bring him to justice." Summarized Ezra.

"Sounds like a plan." Agreed Carys, smiling for the briefest moment.

**9F**

They noticed the Stairs, but didn't say anything. They merely walked over and ascended, bracing themselves in case it was the last floor.

**10F**

It wasn't, but they dared not relax their guard. They knew they were very close to encountering the kidnapper, and they were fully expecting resistance when they attempted to free the Lake Trio from whatever wretched prison they were shut in. They were prepared to drag the little purple Pokemon back to Lily Town to await judgment if need be. They had their mission. And they were unflinching in their resolve to succeed.

**Alluring Rift Cavern**

"You made it!" Was the first thing they heard when they finally arrived at their destination. The kidnapper was right in front of them, clapping his hands in joy.

The walls were pink crystal, and they led to multiple cave systems. Up ahead, a light could be seen. Perhaps it led to somewhere else.

Ezra took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was to come.

"I saw you arrive at the cliff. I'm so happy you figured out my trick! Now it's your turn to hide, and my turn to seek!" He went on.

"Enough!" Ezra snapped, startling him. "We didn't come here to play games with you. We came here to rescue the Lake Trio."

"They don't need rescuing." He said, looking confused.

"You kidnapped them! Of course they do! Who are you, and why did you kidnap the Lake Trio?" Demanded Ezra angrily.

"I'm Hoopa! I didn't kidnap the Lake Trio. Sure, they came here unwillingly, but we're friends now." He smiled broadly.

"Yeah, right. Listen, we're an exploration team. Don't make this harder than it has to be. Just let them go, and come with us." Suggested Carys.

"I can't let them go outside; it's not safe! Only I can keep the Trio safe!" Hoopa protested.

"At Moonlit Meadow, you said that if we found you, then we could see them." Said Carys, coming to stand next to Ezra.

"I did say that, didn't I? Hmm….I know! Let's have a battle!" Hoopa beamed delightedly. "I've been here for ages all by myself. I have no one to play with, since no one figures out my trick back at Mystical Bluff. But you two figured it out, so I want to play with you some more! If you win, you can see the Trio. I promise."

"Uh…" Ezra trailed off. They had come prepared for the worst, but Hoopa was not the criminally insane psycho they had initially thought him to be. He seemed to just be a playful Pokemon who was lonely. Still, that did not excuse his actions, and they had a mission to complete.

"Sure?" Ezra said.

"Yay! I haven't battled in a long time!" Hoopa beamed, clapping his hands.

**Boss Battle…? ( watch?v=VIop055eJhU I know it's not PMD music, but I thought it was fitting.)**

"Remember the plan, Ez." Carys said as they watched Hoopa carefully.

"Right. Let's toy with him first." Suggested Ezra. "Flame Burst!" She shouted, sending the volley down at Hoopa.

As they had expected, he dove into his hoop to dodge.

"Hyperspace Hole!" He giggled, appearing next to Carys and hitting her, sending her flying.

"Ahh…he's…strong." She gritted her teeth, rising from the floor. "Hey…Where'd my Stamina Band go?"

Hoopa had it, and was tying it around his own neck.

"Ooh, a Stamina Band! Very nice, very nice!" He exclaimed, laughing.

"Hey…how'd you get that?" Asked Ezra. She hadn't seen him take it, but she could've been mistaken.

"Magician!" Hoopa laughed.

"Magician?" Ezra asked, confused.

"Magician is an Ability that lets the user take the held item of another Pokemon whenever the latter is hit by the former. In layman's terms, he steals items when he hits us." Carys explained.

"Yep! What Abilities do you have, Shiny Litwick?" Hoopa agreed, glowing purple. Ezra looked down to find that she was glowing as well.

"Waah! What are you doing to me?" She shrieked, feeling something change within her. The glowing stopped, and Hoopa was nodding thoughtfully.

"Hmm, Flame Body and Flash Fire. I see. That's amazing! I think I'll keep them."

"He used Skill Swap. He switched your Abilities. Don't use your fire attacks on him now; he'll use Flash Fire against you." Advised Carys.

"Argh! Give me back my Abiltiies!" Ezra stormed, sending out a Night Shade. Hoopa jumped out of the way.

"No ghost-type attacks! I hate those!" He wailed, sending out a Shadow Ball at Ezra.

She was slow to dodge, and the powerful attack knocked her into the far wall. She slid down painfully until she hit the floor, dazed.

"Ugh…" She moaned, standing back up.

"Hypocrite!" Carys retorted, Razor Leafing Hoopa.

"I am not! I am Hoopa!" He stormed back.

"Time for what we discussed?" Asked Ezra, limping over to Carys.

"I think so." She nodded. "Okay then, I'm going to eat this Violent Seed, Hoopa, and then you'll be sorry!" She threatened, making as if to eat a Stun Seed.

Hoopa only laughed.

"You can't out-trick me! I'm the best trickster around! I know that's a Stun Seed you have there. Nice try, though!"

"Argh! Now what do we do?!" Ezra hissed, seething. If they couldn't tie down Hoopa, then they'd never win!

"I don't know. Perhaps the double-team takedown?" Suggested Carys.

"It's our only shot. I'll go first. Night Shade!" Ezra said grimly.

Like before, Hoopa jumped into his loop. Ezra felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned just in time to be punched in the face. She saw black, then white, and she was suddenly full of energy again.

"Hyperspace Hole!" Hoopa laughed, warping back to his spot up front.

"I fainted, didn't I?" She said, annoyed at the now-hula hooping Hoopa.

"Yep." Carys said unnecessarily. "Confuse Ray!" She tried. But Hoopa kept using his loop to warp out of danger.

"My turn! Phantom Force!" Laughed Hoopa, vanishing.

"Where'd he go?!" Demanded Ezra, whirling around, looking for him.

"Behind you! I got him." Yelled Carys.

Ezra turned around to see Hoopa rushing straight at her—but a sudden Confuse Ray stopped him dead in his tracks. He wandering around in circles, dazed. Ezra kicked his hoop away so he couldn't readily use it.

"Now's our chance! He said he hates ghost-type moves; maybe he's weak to them!" Exclaimed Ezra, using Hex.

Hoopa screeched in pain when he was hit, but still wandered aimlessly.

"I think you're right!" Said Carys, adding a Shadow Sneak.

Hoopa blinked and shook his head. Clearly, he snapped out of his confusion. He looked up in time to see Ezra and Carys come at him with a Night Shade and Astonish at the same time. He searched for his hoop, but wailed when he couldn't find it.

He was sent flying, soaring and soaring through the air until he landed on the ground up ahead, creating a hole where he had landed. He lay still when he landed, and didn't get up. Cautiously, Ezra and Carys approached the dazed Pokemon.

They had just begun to think that they had won when Hoopa suddenly burst out laughing.

"Hahahahahah! That was incredible! I haven't had this much fun in ages! Okay, you guys win." He said, getting up and brushing off the dirt. He looked like he had taken no damage whatsoever.

"Wait, that didn't knock you out?" Protested Ezra as Hoopa picked up his hoop.

"Nope! I saw stars, but I'm still good to go! But I don't want to fight anymore. You two seem pretty beat up. Here, have these." As he was talking, he reached into his hoop and came out holding two Oran Berries.

"Where did you get these?" Ezra asked suspiciously.

"There's a wild Oran Berry forest not too far from here. Don't worry, I didn't steal them." He shrugged.

Ezra and Carys looked at each other and shrugged, downing the berries.

"I forfeited, so you can see the Trio now. You gu-uys! Ezra and Carys are here!" He called, facing the cave system.

"How do you know our names? We never told you them." Demanded Carys.

"We told him." Said Uxie as he and his siblings appeared from a cave entrance.

"Uxie! Mesprit! Azelf! You're okay! You're not hurt?" Ezra cried, hugging the Trio.

"No, never! It's good to see you again!" Grinned Azelf.

"Wait, what's going on? Hoopa kidnapped you three and you seem perfectly okay with it." Said Carys, confused.

"It's true that we were initially brought here against our will. But Hoopa explained what he was doing, so we forgave him." Mesprit explained.

"Let me explain." Said Hoopa. "I was in the lair of the Dark side, eating donuts, when I overheard _Him_ tell _His _subordinates to bring the Trio to _Him_. Immediately, I went back home and took Azelf. _He _told _His_ lackeys where to find Azelf, so that's how I knew where to find him. Anyway, I was just about to bring Uxie here when you two brought him to your town. It took me a while to find him again! But I finally did, and brought him here. I saw your battle the next day with the Dark envoys. I intervened for Mesprit's safety, as there was no way I could let her be hurt any longer. The Trio were pretty mad at me at first, but I told them that I did it to protect them, and we became friends. Then I saw that the Shiny Umbreon was preparing a party for his sister, so I decided to help her out and bring her to the party, bypassing the dungeon. But she went back home, then went through the dungeon anyway, which annoyed me. And that's when I met you two! The Trio had told me a lot about you guys, and so I wanted to meet you myself, alone. And that's what happened!"

"That's…quite the tale. But what were you doing in the lair of the Dark?" Ezra asked suspiciously.

"Eating donuts. I go there from time to time and pilfer their larder. But I'm on the side of Light, I promise! I brought the Trio here because Alluring Rift is shielded from scrying Pokemon. If _He_ tried to find them, _He_ wouldn't be able to. The best part is that because space is out of control, _He_ takes no notice when I warp space! I can go anywhere, and _He'll_ just think it's the ruler of space acting up!" Hoopa laughed.

"Hoopa is a legendary psychic- and ghost-type Pokemon capable of warping hyperspace, which he uses via his hoop. He can bring anything he wants to anywhere, but luckily he's on our side, albeit he's quite the prankster." Uxie explained wryly.

"That certainly explains why he didn't seem to take much damage from us, even though we were super effective. Why didn't you three just use telepathy to warn the others about Hoopa?" Asked Carys.

"What would be the fun in that?" Asked Hoopa mischievously.

"If we were to use our telepathic abilities, _He_ would certainly take notice, which we do not want. _He_ listens closely on the telepathic airways, you see. If we were to start talking, _He_ would zero in on our location. No, we are safe here, where we are together and shielded from view." Explained Azelf.

"But _He's_ looking for you, right? Once _He_ finds a spot that he can't scry, _He'll_ just come after you!" Protested Ezra.

"Haha! Telepathy travels though hyperspace, which is my domain. I've rigged the space around Alluring Rift so that it appears normal at first glance. If _He_ were to pay closer attention to here, then _He_ would certainly discover the block. But we're hoping _He_ won't notice." Shrugged Hoopa.

"Is that safe?" Fretted Carys.

"It's the safest plan we have right now, unfortunately." Sighed Mesprit.

"You can go back and tell everyone that they're okay, but don't mention my home." Pleaded Hoopa.

"We won't." Promised Ezra.

It was strange. They had thought Hoopa a criminal, but he turned out to be a Light trickster.

"Well, I guess we should be going back home. I'm glad to know that you three are okay, and that Hoopa's not an insane criminal." Said Carys.

"Yep! Let's get going!" Said Hoopa.

"What? Where are you going?" Asked Ezra, confused.

"With you guys, of course! I'm bored here, and Lily Town sounds like a fun place to live! I can check on the Trio anytime, thanks to my hoop. So they'll be safe here without me." Hoopa beamed.

"Uh…" Said Ezra. She didn't know what to think about Hoopa living in town with them.

"Oh pretty please? I promise I won't be a bother!" Hoopa gazed up at them with big, tearful eyes.

"Hoopa's a prankster, but he has a good heart. I think he'll do just fine." Chimed Mesprit.

"He'll probably just follow us anyway." Sighed Carys. Hoopa grinned wickedly, confirming her fear.

"Well…uh…sure? But only for a little while." Said Ezra.

"Yaaaaaaaaaay!" He screamed, jumping high into the air.

Ezra and Carys exchanged an "Arceus help us" look.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Hoopa laughed, running ahead.

"What have I done…? Ugh, oh well. Goodbye, Lake Trio! See you soon!" Ezra sighed, then waved goodbye at the legendaries.

"Goodbye!" They chorused.

"Wait up!" Carys shouted at Hoopa as she and Ezra ran to catch up.

**So Hoopa's going to live with Ezra &amp; Co. Maybe he needs to meet Franziska….Anyways, Chapter 7 will commence soon! It'll be a long one, and a very important one. The mood of the story will shift abruptly and harshly. It'll also answer one or two of your major questions, such as the identity of the Dark's Chosen (But that won't occur until the chapter finale, alas!)**

**The chapter premiere will contain: A new resident, a new employee, and a job.**


	29. Chapter 7 On the Run

**Chapter 7. On the Run**

"Come on! It's almost nighttime!" Hoopa exclaimed impatiently. They were on the cliff that linked Mystical Bluff and Alluring Rift. The sun was a mere sliver above the horizon, and pink and orange streaks danced across the sky. The air had grown cooler, and the wind was a slight breeze.

"Well, hurry up and warp us to town, then!" Ezra exclaimed back.

"Nope, no can do." Hoopa shook his head, stopping at the entrance to the bluff.

"Why not? You warped the Lake Trio with no problem." Retorted Carys.

"Actually, I did have a problem. Turns out that warping living creatures is different from warping inanimate objects. I guess hyperspace just isn't meant for Pokemon. Anyways, when I first took Azelf, the travel knocked him out for two entire days, but only because he fought me at every turn. I was more careful with Uxie and Mesprit, so they fared slightly better, only being out for a day. The point is, if I warp us, you'll be unconscious for a long time. And I need you two to tell your friends not to arrest me! They certainly won't believe me when I tell them that I meant the Trio no harm!" Explained Hoopa.

"Oh…" Said Ezra, who had been secretly curious as to what hyperspace travel felt like.

"Sorry." Hoopa shrugged sadly.

The trio walked along the coast for some time, talking about whatever came to mind. Hoopa, despite his appearance as a silly prankster, proved to be a knowledgeable Pokemon when it came to the world. He knew who the leader of Darkness was, as well as _His_ captive, but refused to say their names, for the same reasons the Lake Trio gave them.

"Doing that would draw _His _attention! And that's bad! Nope, better that _He_ ignores us." He had said with true fear.

They walked on, stopping at an apple orchard to eat dinner. A little before midnight, they arrived back to Lily Town. Hoopa was marveling at all the sights as they walked through the town.

"Wow! It's so…happy here!" He gasped in awe.

"Team Banshee!" Rose's shout rang through the night.

"Eep!" Squeaked Hoopa, jumping into his hoop and warping off somewhere.

"He'll be back." Carys said to Ezra when the latter opened her mouth to call for him.

Similarly to when Uxie first came to town, it seemed as if the entire populace came running to greet the trio.

"How was it? Did you meet the kidnapper?" Demanded Cave, stepping up towards them.

"We did." Ezra nodded.

"Well? Where is he? And where are the Lake Trio?" Added Meloetta.

"Well…There's a slight problem with that." Said Carys.

"Spit it out already." Glowered Franziska.

"We found the kidnapper, but it turns out that he's on our side. He kidnapped the Trio for their safety, as his home is shielded from the Dark. We saw the Lake Trio ourselves, and we can confirm that they're unharmed and well. They agreed to stay where they are for the time being." Ezra gave the townsfolk the short version of what happened.

"So they're okay…I'm relieved. But where is the Pokemon who claims to have rescued them?" Asked Blue Hood.

"Funny story about that. He came back with us. Everyone, I'd like you to meet Hoopa." Said Carys.

"Hi!" Hoopa said from behind everyone. Everyone turned to see the little Pokemon hula-hooping with his loop.

"But…the hand I saw was huge. He's just a pipsqueak." Sips protested.

"I can make my arms bigger if I need to. And I'm not always tiny; if I had my bottle I could make myself bigger." Grinned Hoopa, now playing ring toss with his horns.

"Your bottle?" Echoed the Green Kecleon brother, confused.

"Oh sure. I have a special bottle that limits my power. If I uncork it, then I get bigger and stronger! But I don't know where it is; I seem to have lost it." Explained Hoopa.

"You lost a bottle that makes you stronger?" From Ivysaur's tone, it was clear he didn't believe him.

"Yep. Honestly, it's for the best. My unbound form is always angry. I don't like being angry all the time, so I stopped uncorking my bottle. Then I lost it." Hoopa shrugged, not perturbed at all.

"Hmph. I still want to question you. The Lake Trio may have forgiven you, but you still committed a crime. Three times." Blue Hood stood menacingly over Hoopa, who wasn't afraid at all.

"Ooh, I remember you! You were one of the three Pokemon who were with Uxie when I took him!" He clapped his hands as the Hooded Brotherhood led him somewhere.

"Well. That was an unexpected turn of events." Commented Rose, sighing. "I'm glad that no one was hurt overall. Why did he come back with you guys?" She said, turning to Ezra and Carys.

"He, uh…Wants to live in town." Ezra said awkwardly.

"Eh?! But why?" Objected Pelipper.

"He's bored and lonely." Carys shrugged uncomfortably.

"I imagine living at…wherever he did…for so long must've been hard on him. Still, I'm not sure Lily Town is the best place for him." Frowned Jumpluff.

"I believe we should give him a chance." Sora said mildly, coming to join them. "I've read of him before. Hoopa is a mischievous Pokemon, but also a wise one. He is a legendary who has the power to bend hyperspace to his will, and he uses this ability to transport objects from anywhere to everywhere. He does indeed have a Prison Bottle that, when used, triples his power temporarily, thus making him more aggressive."

"That's amazing." Breathed Lafea.

"Another legendary? I'd love the chance to speak with him." Meloetta nodded thoughtfully.

"Have you two eaten?" Rose asked Team Banshee worriedly.

"We have, yes." Ezra nodded.

"Hm. Well, the HB will be interrogating him for some time, I bet. I'd say we'd best go to bed." Suggested Franziska.

"Wait, where will Hoopa stay after he's released?" Protested Ezra.

"He can stay at my place. There's a small room in the back. Carys used to live with me, you know." Assured Neal.

"Yep! Neal's house is cozy; he'll like it." Beamed Carys.

"I'll be up for some time yet, anyway." The Cherrim went on.

"Well, if Hoopa's sleeping arrangements are all done, I think we should follow Franziska's advice." Said Rose, yawning.

"That sounds amazing. We all stayed up waiting for you two, and now that all the excitement is done, I'm tuckered out." Agreed Kangaskhan.

With that said, the town said goodnight to each other, and went off to bed. The town slept in later than usual, having been awake until the middle of the night.

When Ezra and Carys finally woke up, it was almost noon. They were embarrassed until they discovered that, aside from Franziska, no one else was awake. Having nothing else to do for a bit, they decided to do their usual morning routine.

They were flagged down by Hoopa just as they were leaving the Kecleon Markets.

"Ezra! Carys!" He waved, running over to them.

"Hoopa! How are you? How was last night?" Ezra asked.

"Last night was great! The HB questioned me forever, but I used my hoop to link us to the Lake Trio. They all talked for a while, and the HB let me go. Then Mr. Neal from the dessert shop let me stay the night, and—get this—he's going to teach me how to make donuts later! Also, the HB told the other Pokemon that I was to be trusted, and now they accept me!" Hoopa squealed, jumping with pure joy.

"Aww, I'm glad your night wasn't too stressful." Carys sighed in relief.

"Dooonnnuuuttssss~" Hoopa continued, oblivious to what Carys had said.

"Haha, why do you like donuts so much?" Laughed Ezra, enjoying the look of pure bliss on Hoopa's face.

"They remind me of my hoop, plus they taste amazing! What's not to love? And I get to make my own this time!" He beamed.

"Now you don't have to steal other people's food!" Agreed Carys.

"Well…maybe. Stealing from _Him_ is fun. I might do that some more." Hoopa said with a wicked grin.

"Hoopa!" Ezra protested.

"I'm just kidding! I won't put you in danger; I promise! I—oh…" Hoopa was distracted by Glace and Caine walking past them and towards Jumpluff Bank.

"Wow! She's pretty…." Hoopa stared at Glace, who had overheard. She seemed to wince, then moved quicker towards the bank.

"I'm gonna talk to the pretty lady!" Exclaimed Hoopa, going over to the two.

"Be polite!" Carys called after him.

"Such a child sometimes." She remarked, shaking her head.

"I feel like a mother." Agreed Ezra. "Come on, let's go find a mission and eat breakfast."

**Gratitude Valley ( watch?v=lnohxg2OTho)**

"Here we are." Said Ezra as they arrived at the targeted dungeon a little while later.

Franziska had made an excellent brunch, and Ezra was still stuffed from the meal. They had taken a mission that involved finding a Doom Seed for a Charmeleon on B6F. The dungeon was just as they remembered it: verdant and full of colorful flowers, mainly Gracideas.

"Ooh, let's not stay too long. All this pollen is ma-a-a-ACHOO!" Carys sneezed violently, being hurled back five feet by the force.

"Ugh…Let's just get going." She sniffed, shaking her head.

**B1F**

"That was impressive." Ezra said to Carys as they spawned in the middle of a flower field.

"Ugh, thanks. Pollen allergies are not fun, especially in spring." Carys groaned.

"I bet." Sympathized Ezra, who wasn't too affected by the flowers. "I wonder how the Shaymin are doing."

"I imagine their village is rebuilt by now. And we haven't heard of any more attacks on them, so I guess Celebi's left them alone."

"Thankfully." Ezra nodded, remembering the first time they had come here.

Celebi had been terrorizing the Shaymin who lived at the end of the dungeon, so Team Banshee had gone out and stopped her. They followed her to her home in Lush Highland, but discovered that she had fled to parts unknown. After that, they never had word of Celebi again.

**B2F**

They were currently being triple-teamed by a Togetic, Swablu, and Sunkern. Luckily, the duo were _much_ stronger than they had been before, so the fight wasn't terribly taxing.

"Night Shade!" Shouted Ezra, KOing the Sunkern before it could use a status move on her, as grass-types were wont to do.

"Shadow Sneak!" Carys followed up, barely managing to one-shot the Togetic before it could use a flying-type move, as they were wont to do.

The Swablu decided for whatever reason that Ezra made a better target and Pecked at her body. She threw up her hands, shielding her face as best as she could. The blows were sharp, but endurable. Doubtless she would have been screaming in agony during the first go-around in the dungeon. But Ezra was not the same Pokemon as before. She had gotten stronger since then.

"Nice try," she told it after the attacks had stopped. "but no."

A simple swirl of Flame Burst—her most powerful attack—and the Swablu was down.

"We are awesome." Carys stated.

"Yes." Said Ezra. "We are."

**B3F**

"Stairs! Yay!" Exclaimed Carys.

**B4F**

"Two in a row? Aw yeah." She smirked.

**B5F**

"I'm glad Hoopa's having fun in town. I'm also glad Neal's letting him stay for now." Said Carys as they walked on.

"That's right; you lived with him before you met me. What was it like?" Asked Ezra.

"He took me in when I was little. Pumpkaboos normally grow up by ourselves, you see. We learn everything the hard way. I was pretty scared about being alone in the world, but Neal let me stay with him. I grew up in Lily Town under his guidance; he's practically a dad to me. I helped him manage his shop—I did the finances and such—and in return he gave me a place to call home. He'll be a good influence on Hoopa, I know it. …I should get him a gift, to thank him for all he's done for me." Carys said, an odd note in her voice, a note that was full of love.

**B6F**

"We're here. Now, where's that Doom Seed?" Said Ezra, looking around.

"Somewhere on this floor. Come on!" Carys replied.

After a few minutes of searching, an enemy Sunflora came to harass them.

"Ooh, Sunflora has the Doom Seed!" Reported Carys as it came closer.

"How can you tell?" Ezra asked as she prepared a simple Ember attack. Ember was all she would need.

"Frisk. It alerts me to others' held items." Explained Carys.

"Oh. Neat. Here we are." Said Ezra, handing Carys the seed after a brief pause to char the Sunflora to unconsciousness.

"Sweet! Out we go!" Grinned Carys as they left the dungeon.

**Lily Town**

"Thanks for finding the Doom Seed!" Their client, a Charmeleon, grinned at them, showing off her sharp teeth.

"Sure thing! But…why a Doom Seed?" Asked Ezra.

"They're great for battling tough opponents. Just give 'em a Doom Seed, and all your problems go away!" Charmeleon laughed harshly, handing over the Foe-Fear Orb that was their payment.

"I see. Well, good luck on your future battles!" Said Carys.

"No prob! Thanks you two." Charmeleon said as she left the Lofts.

"Another good deed done! Come on, Ez, let's go see if the Kecleon Brothers have something I can give to Neal." Said Carys, pulling Ezra outside.

"What do you have in mind?" Asked Ezra.

"Items that are exclusive to Cherrims. There are exclusive items for every Pokemon, but finding them is rather difficult. I'm hoping that the Market will have what I'm looking for." Explained Carys as she led Ezra down to the Kecleon Bros.

"Hello again Carys and Ezra! What can we do for you?" Greeted the purple Kecleon.

"Hello! Do you two have a Cherrim Dew, Cherrim Card, Sweet Aroma, or Petal Dress?" Asked Carys.

"I'm so sorry, but we don't carry those kinds of items. Are they for Neal?" Inquired the green Kecleon.

"Yes, I want to repay him for all the kindness that he's done for me." She nodded.

"That's very sweet of you! We'll ask around, but I can't guarantee that we'll come across what you're looking for." Said the green brother.

"You're too kind." Carys demurred.

"Will that be all?" The purple brother asked.

"Yes. Thank you, and have a good day." Carys bowed, and the two headed back home.

"Ah…I had hoped they would have an exclusive item, but it appears I'm wrong." Carys sighed.

"If you're looking for something, I can find it for you!" Said a familiar voice.

Right in front of them, Hoopa appeared, leaping out of his hoop.

"Hello Hoopa. How went donut-making?" Asked Ezra.

"It was _awesome!_ But that can wait. Would you like my help finding whatever you're looking for?" Offered Hoopa.

"Maybe. I'd rather find it by myself, but if I have to I'll ask. Anyways, what's up?" Asked Carys.

"Okay, just let me know! Today has been the best! I made yummy treats, spoke to Glace and Meloetta, and I have a residence here now!" He beamed.

"Wow! That's awesome. Where is it?" Smiled Ezra.

"With Mr. Neal! He offered me a place to stay if I help him with his store! I said yes!" He looked like he was going to explode from so much giddiness.

"I used to live with Neal, you know. He's an amazing landlord, and you'll be in good hands." Assured Carys, hugging Hoopa. (Since she didn't have hands, Carys couldn't fully embrace Hoopa, but the gesture was essentially the same.)

"I think so too. Well, I gotta run. I have to close up shop tonight! Bye-bye friends!" Hoopa said as he warped back to Neal's shop.

"He's going to have such a good time here." Remarked Ezra.

"He will. I'm happy for him." Agreed Carys.

"…Wanna hustle Kiro in poker?" Ezra said after a moment, smiling mischievously.

"Um. _Yes._"

**I'm back! Spring Break was fun, but now the homework will come rushing in -.- **

**Here we have a mild chapter to kick off Chapter 7. Not all posts can be Ez and Carys rushing off into parts unknown, see :P The action will begin in the next post, so don't fret, my adventure-loving readers. **

**The next post shall contain: A mysterious letter, a new dungeon, and an altercation between Franzy and Hoopa (It had to happen **_**some**_**day)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hello all! Apologies for the lack of posts this week; I took a short break from writing. But, I'm glad to say that I should be back to my usual pace of posting, so huzzah! :D**

Ezra woke to the scent of something being fried. It was so savory that she found her mouth watering after only a few seconds. Following the scent, she found everyone else waiting in the commons room.

"What is that wonderful smell?" She asked in greeting.

"Franziska's making donuts. If they're as good as they smell, I might just switch to an all-donut diet." Kiro sighed in bliss.

"Haha, Hoopa's already doing just that. It seems to work for him." Laughed Carys in response.

"They should be just about done. Let's head to the dining hall, shall we?" Suggested Rose.

As everyone entered the refectory, the peace was disturbed by an angry shout from the kitchen.

"THIEF!" Screamed Franziska as something small and purple was X-Scissored out of the kitchen.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" The purple thing wailed as it flew through the air, only to crash painfully into the wall opposite the room. Upon closer inspection, the intruder was none other than Hoopa. Franziska came out of the kitchen, brandishing her scalchops and scowling harder than usual.

Hoopa lay on the ground, dazed and holding a hand to his head.

"Hoopa! What are you doing here? Are you all right?" Asked Rose, coming to kneel by him.

"He's fine. I only tapped him." Sniffed Franziska, putting her scalchops away.

"You kidding?! That _hurt!_" He exclaimed, shrinking away from the Dewott.

"What happened?" Asked Caine.

"I caught him trying to swipe the donuts I lay on the counter to cool." Said Franziska, glaring at the would-be thief.

"I won't do it again! I promise! That X-Scissor _hurt!_" Hoopa winced as he tested his head for injuries.

"When we fought you, you didn't seem too badly hurt." Remarked Ezra.

"You guys were strong but that X-Scissor…" Hoopa shuddered. "I'll be going now. I won't try to take any of your donuts anymore, scary lady." He said as he dove into his hoop and warped away, leaving the Pokemon of Rose's Lofts.

"…Well. That was…an interesting start to our morning." Rose said mildly.

"Hmph. I know my cooking is flawless, but that doesn't excuse thievery. Anyway, breakfast is ready, so come sit down." Franzsiaka waved impatiently over to the tables.

Everyone sat down and patiently waited to be served. Once food was doled out, they all began eating. Ezra took a steaming donut drizzled with chocolate and bit into it. Immediately, her taste buds melted into sugary paradise. She couldn't help but sigh in ecstasy.

"Ooh, are they that good? Lemme try." Said Ivysaur, using a Vine Whip to grab one and eat it. Upon his first bite, his eyes went wide. A millisecond later, he shoved the rest of the donut into his mouth and sat there, chewing contentedly.

"…I think he likes it." Caine said unnecessarily.

After the delicious breakfast, Ezra and Carys went off to do their morning routine in town. They sold their unwanted items at the Kecleon Market, got a few apples from Kangaskhan Storage, and deposited their money into Jumpluff Bank. They were just heading back to the Lofts when they noticed two small Pokemon on the edge of town.

"Who are those two?" Asked Carys as the two drew closer. It was a Zorua and a Shiny Vulpix. By the looks of them, they were an exploration team, albeit the two seemed to be wearing jewelry of some sort.

"Hello! Is this Lily Town?" The Zorua asked pleasantly, approaching Team Banshee. She wore a green bracelet on her forepaw. Her partner wore a black and red sphere around her neck.

"Yes, it is." Ezra nodded.

"Yay! We traveled all the way from Firewood City—that's on the faaaaar east coast—as we heard that Lily Town has a hotel for exploration teams. Is that true?" The Zorua asked, after jumping up an d down in glee.

"Yeah, down the street you can find Rose's Lofts, which caters to exploration teams. Just look for the big building with lots of Pokemon painted on it. I'm Carys, by the way, and this is Ezra. We're Team Banshee." Said Carys, nodding in the direction of the Lofts.

"We're Team Crescent! I'm Twirl, but call me Twi! It's nice to meet you!" The Zorua smiled up at them.

"My name is Soaratinicyris." The Vuplix nodded in greeting.

"Soara—what?" Asked Ezra, confused. The Vulpix laughed.

"That's what everybody says! Just call me Soar; it's easier that way." She grinned.

"Alright! Welcome to Lily Town! You'll love it here. We have a dessert shop, markets, a bank, storage, the Lofts, a dojo, and a library!" Said Carys, nodding to each attraction in turn. Soar's eyes went wide at the mention of the library.

"There's a library here?" She breathed.

"My partner here loves to read. No, wait, it's more like an obsession. Anyway, you get the idea." Twi said wryly as Soar raced inside Sora's Library.

"Haha, well, the librarian, Sora the Reuniclus, should keep her entertained." Smiled Ezra.

"Maybe. The library over in Firewood City was much bigger than this one. It'll probably take a day before she reads everything in it." Twi shrugged.

"Perhaps." Said Ezra, not liking Twi's implication of Sora.

"Anyways, I'm going to go check us in to the Lofts thing. See you around, new friends! Oh, and if you see Soar, could you tell her that I'm settling in?" Asked Twi as she turned to leave.

"Yeah, sure." Nodded Carys.

"Tha-anks!" Twi beamed as she left.

"They seem okay. Twi could've been a bit nicer about Sora's place, but other than that they seem like nice Pokemon." Commented Carys, watching Twi walk through town.

Ezra agreed.

"Hello~!" Said a familiar voice. They turned to see Ledian flying towards them.

"Ledian! What's up?" Greeted Carys.

"I have a letter for you two about the Mysterious Shards! One of my clients claims to have seen one! Here, take a look." Ledian gave them a paper.

Ezra took it and read the contents aloud. "_'Dear Team Banshee: I understand you are searching for large shards that swirl with color and power. I believe I saw one at the end of Frigid Tundra, far in the north. I wish you luck on your journey. –R' _Who's this 'R'? Do you know?" She asked, the latter to Ledian.

"Well, I received the letter from a Chansey. Maybe her name started with an R? I don't know. Oh, and I know where Frigid Tundra is. It's as far north as you can go. The locals nickname it 'the End of the World'. The only way to get there is by traveling through Snowy Crevice. Both places are plagued by vicious snowstorms." Ledian advised.

"Ooh, sounds scary." Shivered Carys.

_**Find that shard.**_ Voice appeared briefly in Ezra's mind, then disappeared.

"It does, but nevertheless we should still go. I have a feeling that these shards are important." Said Ezra, obeying Voice.

"I guess…alright, fine. We'll go." Sighed Carys.

"You'll want to leave immediately if you want to reach the end of Frigid Tundra by midnight. It'll take hours to travel that far north." Warned Ledian, preparing to go.

"Good idea. Oh! Could you tell everyone back home that where we're headed?" Asked Ezra just as Ledian took flight.

"Sure! See you later!" He waved as the three split up.

They set out for Snowy Crevice a few minutes later, preparing themselves for a long and arduous trip to the north. As they traveled past Jungle Thicket, the caw of a Murkrow rang through the air, and they could see one take flight from a nearby tree.

"Huh, that's weird. Normally they're nocturnal." Remarked Carys as they watched it fly somewhere.

"You know, hearing a Murkrow during the day is supposed to be bad luck." She added conversationally as they resumed trekking.

"I don't believe in superstition." Dismissed Ezra.

"I don't either, but there's something ominous about seeing a nocturnal Pokemon during the day." Agreed Carys.

"I'm sure it's nothing." Ezra said, trying to quell a rising doubt.

They continued on their journey, stopping only occasionally for rests and to consult their map. Finally, as the sun was just beginning to set, they arrived at the Snowy Crevice.

**Snowy Crevice ( watch?v=B4OVV9eibU0)**

The terrain had evolved into solid ice and rock, and the temperature plummeted down below zero. A massive blizzard was overhead, threatening to overwhelm the two Pokemon.

Carys shouted something to Ezra, but it was lost in the howl of the wind.

"What?" She shouted back.

Carys rolled her eyes and gestured to the entrance of the dungeon. Ezra got the message and led the way in.

**B1F**

The terrain was similar to the outside, but fortunately the snowstorm had ceased inside the dungeon.

"Whew! I'm glad that's over." Carys sighed in relief.

"I wouldn't relax just yet. I'm sure we'll see some weather up ahead." Ezra said grimly, looking around. She noticed the Stairs had spawned in the same room as them. "Here are the Stairs. One floor down, many to go."

**B2F**

The air inside the dungeon was no warmer than the air outside. Carys' teeth were chattering, but Ezra was still feeling relatively warm, thanks to the flame on her head.

"Here, let me help." She said, willing her flame to grow.

"Th-thanks." Carys shivered, hovering cautiously by the warm fire.

Presently, they met a Snorunt in a corridor. Carys surprised Ezra by taking the lead.

"Shadow Sneak!" She exclaimed, her movements a bit stiff due to the cold.

The Snorunt dodged and hit her with an Icy Wind. Carys grunted but refused to back down.

"What are you doing? You're weak to ice-types!" Protested Ezra.

"I'm hoping a battle will warm me up. Now hush and throw a Geo Pebble at it!" Carys replied, barely managing to dodge an Ice Fang. She responded with a Razor Leaf at point-blank range, and a Geo Pebble from Ezra finished it off.

"Better?" Asked Ezra.

"A bit. Hopefully all the Pokemon here will be as easy to defeat as that Snorunt had been." Carys sighed.

**B3F**

"Why couldn't this 'R' person have found the shard in a warmer climate?" Carys was grumbling as they trekked through the dungeon.

"I wonder why they didn't leave their full name." Commented Ezra as she picked up a Chesto Berry.

"Maybe they just go by 'R'? Ledian said that he got the letter from a Chansey, right?" Asked Carys.

"Yeah, but he did say that it was possible that it went by another name starting with 'R'." reminded Ezra.

"Or maybe the Chansey was told to take the letter to Ledian, and R is another Pokemon." Countered Carys.

"Could be. Anyway, I just want to get this over with. I'm starting to get cold!" Ezra sighed, willing the heat in her flame to increase.

"_You're _cold." Retorted Carys.

"…And I want to get out for your sake too."

"Yay."

**B4F**

"I see Stairs." Said Carys, locking onto the gray stones leading downward into the next floor.

**B5F**

After lots of traveling and battling, they came across a large chamber in which the Stairs lay in the far corner—but a Sneasel and Bergmite were in the room as well.

"Ew, a Dark-type." Shuddered Carys.

"You're not stuttering anymore." Noticed Ezra.

"All this walking and battling by your fire has warmed me up. Now come on! You take out Sneasel with a Flame Burst, and I'll Confuse Ray Bergmite to buy us some time." Said Carys.

"Right." Nodded Ezra, gearing up for battle.

The Sneasel moved first, preparing a Night Slash. It was quick, but Ezra was quicker, not wanting to be hit with the devastating blow. She followed up with a Flame Burst, which oddly did not KO the Sneasel. It raked her with a successful Night Slash, but fell to a Razor Leaf from Carys, who had already confused the Bergmite.

"Thanks for that." Panted Ezra, grimacing at the bruises on her body.

"No prob. Now, let's finish this Bergmite together with a Flame Burst-Razor Leaf combo, shall we?" Carys suggested wickedly.

Ezra grinned back. "Deal."

They almost felt bad for the Bergmite after they were done with it. Almost.

**B6F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

"Whoa. Snow." Marveled Ezra, staring up at the sky as light flakes fluttered gently to the ground.

"I was cold enough already! But now it's snowing?!" Carys bellowed in exasperation.

"Well, if the weather's getting worse, then I guess it means that we're going in the right direction." Ezra said, catching a snowflake on her tongue.

"When will this misery end?" Moaned Carys, shaking snow off of her body.

**B7F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

"More snow?! Ugh." Carys complained. "Could you heat it up a bit, Ez?"

"I can try, but all this extra heat is really making me tired. Or maybe it's the cold. I dunno. All I know is that I wanna take a nap." Ezra sighed, rubbing her eye. She felt so lethargic.

"Arceus, no, _don't_ fall asleep in the cold! You'll get hypothermia!" Exclaimed Carys, nudging Ezra awake.

"Argh, I guess all we can do is keep going. I'll eat an apple to give myself an extra boost, but I'm starting to slow down." Responded Ezra, eating an apple. The energy boost helped a little bit, but what she really wanted was to sleep near a warm fire.

"Hang on, Ez. I'm sure we're almost there." Carys said soothingly.

**B8F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

"Nooo, not more snow!" Groaned Carys, shaking it off of her head.

"We have the Stairs here with us, though." Ezra said comfortingly.

**B9F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

Ezra was falling behind. The cold coupled with her fatigue made it hard for her to keep her eyes open. She was so numb that she couldn't tell that her flame was dangerously low, almost out. Carys, who was still going strong thanks to her Stamina Band, was very worried about her sluggish friend. If Ezra didn't wake up soon, then she was going to be in a lot of trouble. The terrain now had small, almost-frozen ponds here and there, and she spotted a Marill swimming in such a pond. Looking back at Ezra, she got an idea.

"Hey!" She shouted at the Marill, knocking it on the head with a Geo Pebble. Angered, it stalked towards her.

Carys put an alarmingly-cold Ezra in front of her just as the Marill unleashed a Water Gun. Ezra fainted instantly, and was revived just as quickly.

"Wh-what just happened?" Asked a bright-eyed Ezra.

"I purposely made you faint before you succumbed to the cold. Watch out!" Carys countered a rogue Water Pulse with a Razor Leaf, effectively countering the attack. A well-placed Razor Leaf ensured that Team Banshee was alone for the time being.

"You made me faint?" Ezra asked, confused, as she felt her flame swell with new energy.

"I had that Marill attack you so you would be revived by a Reviver Seed. Good thing, too, as you were almost frozen on your feet!" Carys replied.

"I was? …Oh. My." Ezra said in a small voice.

"Yeah. Are you okay now?" Inquired Carys.

"I am. Thank you."

"Yay! Let's get going before you freeze again!"

**B10F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

"Staaaaiiirrrsss." Droned Carys, happily descending before anything bad could happen to them.

**B11F**

**Weather Condition: Hail**

"Agh! It's hailing!" Wailed Ezra as she was pelted with Oran Berry-sized hailstones.

"Ow! Wow, that hurts. But we have Stairs, so hopefully the next floor won't have any!" Noticed Carys.

The two raced for the Stairs while dodging hailstones.

**B12F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

"Hm. Snow is better than hail, I suppose, but I'd rather the weather be clear." Frowned Ezra, looking up at the sky.

"Me too. Ooh, a Snover!" Noticed Carys as a Snover walked into the chamber.

**Weather Condition: Hail**

"You're kidding me." Glared Ezra as it started hailing.

"Snow Warning is its Ability. Let's just KO it and leave." Grumbled Carys.

The Snover stood no chance against their Flame Burst-Shadow Sneak combo, but unfortunately the weather did not change back to snow.

"Why?" Ezra shouted at the universe as she was hit on the head by a hailstone.

"Let's make a run for it!" Suggested Carys.

**B13F**

**Weather Condition: Hail**

"Not more hail! And no Stairs in sight this time!" Groaned Ezra, dodging hailstones.

"C'mon, let's just go!" Carys said as they ran through the dungeon, ignoring items and enemy Pokemon. Every so often they were caught by a hailstone, but it only made them more determined to find the Stairs.

As they raced through a corridor, with at least five Pokemon chasing them, they found the way blocked by an Abomasnow.

"_Out of the way!"_ Ezra screamed, blasting the bewildered Pokemon with a Flame Burst. Carys added a Shadow Sneak to the mix, damaging the Abomasnow but not defeating it. Ezra barely noticed being hit by Wood Hammer; all she wanted to do was leave the dungeon as soon as possible.

"They're gaining, Ez!" Cried Carys, looking behind her at the pursuing foes.

One last Flame-Sneak combo and they were free from the Abomasnow. Thankfully, the next chamber held the precious Stairs.

**Snowy Crevice Pit**

They found themselves at the end of the dungeon, which led to a narrow path in between two sheer rock walls hundreds of feet tall. The blizzard had started up again, and the two trudged onward, determined to press on. It was almost nightfall, and they knew they had to hurry before the temperatures plummeted even more when night fell. They walked in between the cliffs, thankful that the walls shielded them from the worst of the wind and snow.

Presently, they came to the end of the path, where the two rock walls merged into one. A large crack split the bottom part of the cliff, big enough for even a large Pokemon to crawl through.

"I think th-this is the e-entrance t-t-to Fr-frigid T-tundra." Chattered Ezra, willing her flame to produce more heat.

"I think you're r-r-right." Carys agreed. Wordlessly, they entered the crack in the wall.

**Thanks to Songfall for Team Crescent! **

**Speaking of OCs, they will be one of three of your OCs (both old and new) to appear in this chapter, as this one takes place away from town. The others will reappear in time, don't worry :3**

**The next post will contain: The End of the World, a shard, and the mysterious 'R'.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Frigid Tundra ( watch?v=YlZlMb_OyI8)**

**B1F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

The terrain was much like before, only the ground was packed snow instead of light flurries on rock. It wasn't slippery, but Ezra had a feeling that the ground would turn into ice as they trekked on. She was starting to regret this trip to the north. Although she had fire burning on top of her head, even she was starting to feel the effects of the biting, stinging cold. Carys fared slightly worse. She hovered near Ezra's fire, her Stamina Band giving her extra strength, but it was clear she was feeling taxed as well. Pride kept the two from turning back, but they knew they had to get to the end quickly before the cold overcame them both.

**B2F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

By some unspoken agreement, Ezra and Carys didn't speak unless necessary, conserving their strength. The two didn't even call out their attacks like they usually did, as talking only wasted energy they couldn't afford to lose. They actually had the strength to talk about trivial matters, but they had the distinct feeling they'd need the energy later on, when the dungeon became colder and the Pokemon stronger.

**B3F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

Fortunately, on this floor, the layout was kind enough to spawn them next to the Stairs. Wordlessly, they descended, feeling the slightest decrease in temperature as they arrived at the next floor.

**B4F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

They did not spawn next to the Stairs, unfortunately. Bracing themselves for another arduous trek through the floor, they picked a corridor to go through and traversed through the halls. This was where they encountered a Spheal. Knowing that it was also a water-type with the Ability Thick Fat, Ezra fell back and let Carys take care of the enemy. Carys was immediately hit by an Ice Ball, but dared not let the blow slow her down. Countering, the Pumpkaboo used Razor Lef, critically striking the Spheal and knocking it back a few yards. Shaking its head free of pain, it grimaced and viciously Body Slammed Carys. Or, it would have been vicious, had Body Slam not be a normal-type move. Carys gave the quickest chuckle and KO'd her foe with another Razor Leaf. The foe being gone, the two moved on, speeding up their pace in an effort to warm their tired bodies.

**B5F**

**Weather Condition: Hail**

There wasn't much to be said about this floor. No conversation was held, no items picked up, no enemies fought. They simply spawned and found the Stairs in the next chamber over, grateful to be out of the damaging hail.

**B6F**

**Weather Condition: Hail**

The terrain changed. As Ezra had feared, the ground was now solid ice, and the walls a light blue shade—also made of ice. Briefly, Ezra and Carys shared a quick smile, breaking the frozen bits of ice stuck around their faces. In their experience, changes in terrain meant that they were close to the end of the dungeon. They would be out of this Arceus-forsaken dungeon soon. Feeling hopeful for the first time in hours, they pressed on, battling Sneasels, Sealeos, and Abomasnows along the way.

**B7F**

**Weather Condition: Hail**

They spawned next to the Stairs again. Gratefully, the exhausted explorers descended sluggishly, where they suddenly and unexpectedly found themselves surrounded in precious warmth.

—**Waypoint—**

"It…It's so warm." Carys said, her teeth chattering so hard that her words were almost indistinguishable. They had starting chattering around B3F, and they had started shivering uncontrollably on B5F.

Here, though, was the waypoint. The walls were now made of brick, and giant fire places surrounded the walls, creating a toasty room in the middle of a glacier. The floor, snowy around the entrance and exit, gave way to soft earth.

"Why is there a waypoint here? Is there something up ahead?" Croaked Ezra, who hadn't used her voice in a while. She was also dreadfully hungry and thirsty. Luckily, though, there was a small spring near the Kangaskhan statue, and she went over and drank her weight in water.

"Maybe. Should we press on, or stay?" Asked Carys, sounding much better after drinking water and floating by the fireplaces.

"I think we should rest. Otherwise, we'll kill ourselves by finishing the dungeon in such a near-hypothermic state." Replied Ezra, standing near the fires herself. The warmth of the fire felt wonderful on her poor, stiff body. Unbeknownst to her, her flame had been gradually dying down as they had gone through the dungeon.

They spent the next hour just sitting by the fire and eating their apples, letting their bodies recover from the ordeal they had been out through. After they had eaten, Ezra felt much better. All she needed was some sleep. She voiced her thought to Carys, who agreed with enthusiasm.

Cuddling up together, combining their body heat with the heat from the fireplaces, the two tired explorers fell into the deepest, most wonderful sleep they had had in their lives.

They woke up about twelve hours later, judging by the clock that was inexplicably in the waypoint, feeling immensely better. Ezra was no longer cold, and Carys had her trademark smile back on her face. They didn't have any food with them, having eaten it all last night, but they felt confident they could make it to the end of the dungeon. As for the trip back to Lily Town, they planned to stop by a village along the way for food.

"I'm ready when you are." Said Ezra after she drank more water, preparing for the icy torture that awaited them.

"I'm good. Shall we get this over with?" Asked Carys, putting on their bag.

"Yeah. After this, let's take a few days off. I think there's a hot spring near Lily Town. I might just swim in it for a week." Mused Ezra.

"Oooooh, a hot spring sounds _wonderful!_" Carys sighed in anticipation.

**Frigid Glacier ( watch?v=Ncp1QJocqgw)**

**B1F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

Almost immediately the cold assaulted them, permeating their pores and seeping into their bones. It wouldn't be long until they had to start conserving their energy again. Gearing up for an unpleasant journey, the two trekked forward, happy that it wasn't hailing. Yet. The terrain was the same as the end of the first half; solid ice everywhere.

"Hey Ez, look: a Clear Gummi." Noticed Carys as they entered yet another chamber.

"You know what you must do." Responded Ezra, increasing her flame's heat in an effort to stay warm.

Carys took the Gummi and ate it.

"Well?" Inquired Ezra.

"Three guesses and the first two don't count." Replied Carys, mouth still full of Gummi.

"...You're kidding me."

"Nope."

"Ice cream? Seriously?"

"Ee-yup."

"…What flavor?"

"Vanilla."

"Ew."

"Right?"

**B2F**

**Weather Condition: Hail**

"Gr-great. It's h-hailing." Muttered Ezra, shielding her head from the hailstones.

"Y-you're ch-ch-chattering." Carys pointed out, shivering.

"Y-you are t-t-too." Ezra responded back.

"Ugh. E-energy con-conserving t-time?" Sighed Carys.

Ezra nodded.

With that, they fell silent, trying to save as much strength as they could. It was a very bad sign if they were already starting to exhibit the first stages of hypothermia on the second floor. And of course, it was only going to get worse from here.

As the moved throughout the floor, they came across an Abomasnow. Its Ability was useless, as it was already hailing. As if to underline that thought, a hailstone struck Ezra on the head, making her wince. Wanting to get out of the hail, the duo used Shadow-Flame (which is a simultaneous—or separate, depending on the circumstances—Flame Burst and Shadow Sneak), weakening the foe but not defeating it. The Abomasnow hit Ezra with an Ice Beam that made her gasp in pain, but otherwise she wasn't hurt. She finished it off with a Flame Burst, and they got moving again.

**B3F**

**Weather Condition: Hail**

They spawned near the Stairs, much to their delight. The hail was really starting to get on their nerves.

**B4F**

**Weather Condition: Hail**

They were even happier when they spawned near the Stairs _again_.

**B5F**

**Weather Condition: Hail**

Their happiness did not last, as they spawned alone this time. It was starting to get harder and harder for them to get going as well, worrying them. And the temperature continued to sink further and further. All in all, they were feeling pretty miserable, and it was only an hour and a half since they ventured from the waypoint. The two sluggish and freezing Pokemon trudged through hall after hall and chamber after chamber. Ezra was starting to think that the Stairs hadn't spawned on this floor when they entered the chamber that held them. Unfortunately, though, it was guarded by two Beartic.

"Sn-sn-sn-snow Cl-cl-cl-cl-cloak." Carys said. Ezra sighed; she really didn't feel like tangling with Pokemon with Snow Cloak right now.

They split up, each taking on a Beartic. Ezra started off with a Night Shade, but the Beartic she was fighting easily dodged out of the way. It returned by hitting her with an Icy Wind, which made her feel even more tired and slow. She tried to use Ember, but the attack missed. Suddenly, the Beartic glowed white, and it hurled a light blue beam of energy at her. She couldn't dodge in time, and was enveloped in what could only be described as sheer cold. Which made sense, as she was one-hit KO'd by Sheer Cold. She revived just in time to see Carys faint from an Icicle Crash from point-blank range.

"Ugh…" The Pumpkaboo grimaced. Although they had new energy, it was being quickly sapped by the cold.

"Double Team Special?" Asked Ezra, watching the Beartics carefully.

"Yeah." Carys nodded.

She hit both Beartics with a Razor Leaf, drawing their attention. While they were distracted, Ezra snuck behind them and struck both with a Flame Burst. The two Beartics turned around, confused by what just happened. But by turning around, they made themselves open to Carys, who took advantage by using Razor Leaf on them both. Unsure which enemy to go after, the two Beartic hesitated, giving Ezra and Carys an opening. One Night-Sneak (Night Shade coupled with Shadow Sneak) later, they descended to the next floor.

**B6F**

**Weather Condition: Hail**

This floor was much tamer than the previous. Their only foes were a Swinub and the incessant hail. The Swinub had fallen after only one hit from Carys' Razor Leaf. It was kind of sad, actually. Such an anticlimactic battle after their fiasco on the previous floor. They had started feeling the effects of the cold again. Their teeth chattered nonstop, and they shivered violently. At this point, they were thoroughly sick and tired of cold, snow, and the dungeon. So when they finally came to the end of the dungeon, they had the joy of a hundred Togekisses and Blisseys.

**The End of the World**

They had reached the peak of the dungeon. As they had trekked through Frigid Tundra, they had started climbing a glacier. Now, they found themselves at the peak. The cold was still there, of course, and the wind bit into them whenever it could, but thankfully there was no snow or hail. They had risen higher than the clouds, effectively getting rid of the weather. The sun was high in the sky—it must have been well past noon by now—and they could see something glinting in the snow a little ways ahead, near the edge of the glacier.

"Wh-what's th-that?" Asked Carys, motioning towards the shining object.

"May-maybe it's the Sh-shard." Suggested Ezra.

They walked up to the object, where to their delight it was indeed a shard. Ezra touched it, and visions of blizzards and glaciers filled her mind. This, then, must be an Ice Shard. Looking over the edge of the glacier, they could see the ocean. It was a straight drop down to it, as the glacier's northernmost wall was perfectly smooth and vertical. They had traveled as far north as it was possible to go. There was nothing left up ahead.

"I can s-see why the l-l-locals call it 'The E-end of th-th-the W-w-world." Marveled Carys.

"We found the Sh-shard. W-we finally f-found it. N-now we c-c-can go h-h-home." Ezra sighed in immense relief as she put the Shard in their bag.

"Are you so sure about that?" A familiar voice cooed from nearby as they started to leave.

Four Pokemon came out from behind part of the glacier. They were a Vibrava, a Fraxure, a Froslass, and a Zoroark.

"Team R-r-renegade? What a-are you d-doing here? And wh-who's the Zoroark?" Asked Ezra, confused.

"We've been waiting for you, of course!" Laughed Kialandi as the four stood in front of them. Ezra noticed that all but Formora were wearing gray bands around their necks.

"Allow me to explain. You received a letter telling you to come here, didn't you?" Formora smiled a Croconaw smile.

"Yeah. How'd y-y-you know?" Replied Carys.

"We were the ones who sent it!" Firnen laughed harshly. Ezra gasped.

"The sender went by 'R'….R for Renegade! Argh, I'm an idiot!"

"Yes, you are. Anyway, we're here to exact revenge for what happened with Mesprit. You made us and _He Who Is_ very angry, you see. So, we're here to bring you two to _Him_. After _He's_ done with you two, I get to have a turn! As for the Zoroark…..he's just extra muscle. We're not taking any chances this time. Little ones, meet Evan. He's a mercenary, and he's very strong and muscular. He's also a dark-type, which both of you are weak to." Explained Formora, looking fondly at Evan.

"You flatter me, my sweet Formora. But you're the stronger one, Formora, She of the Coldest Heart." Evan said back, getting a mushy look on his face as he gazed at Formora. Formora put a hand to her mouth and actually _giggled_, gazing at Evan with a sidelong smile.

"Are th-they…in l-love?" Whispered Carys to Ezra.

"I didn't kn-know Formora w-was capable o-of love." Replied Ezra, surprised despite herself.

"Hehe, anyways, back to the point. Just come with us. You're tired, exhausted, and freezing. You're in no shape to fight. If you come peacefully, I promise to be gentle…..for five minutes." Formora grinned wickedly.

"She's r-r-right. We c-can't fight l-like this. For o-one, we only h-have one R-r-reviver Seed left. And th-there's _four_ o-of them!" Carys whispered worriedly to Ezra.

"W-we have t-to tr-tr-try." Ezra whispered back grimly.

"So, what will it be? Delayed pain, or immediate pain?" Asked Firnen, claws twitching in anticipation.

"We'll n-n-never surrender t-t-to the likes o-of you! Br-bring it!" Ezra yelled boldly.

"Haha, yes, start a fight! You won't win. Darling Evan, would you be so kind…?" Formora looked lovingly at Evan.

"Yes, My Lady!" He grinned, bounding over to Ezra and Carys.

**Boss Battle! ( watch?v=195XntreoMc I thought it was fitting.)**

"Let's d-do our best, E-ezra." Carys said grimly, narrowly dodging a Night Slash from Evan.

"C-confuse Ray!" She yelled, confusing the Zoroark mercenary.

"Look at you two; you're so cold you can't even talk properly!" Mocked Formora, laughing.

"You four s-seem awfully f-f-fine in th-this weather." Objected Ezra, sending out a Night Shade at the trio up ahead.

"My Lady Formora is naturally suited to this environment, bless her, while the rest of us are wearing Weather Bands. The cold isn't affecting us like it is you two. Unlike you, _we_ came prepared." Said Kialandi, hurling a Dragon Breath at Carys.

She dodged using Astonish, catching Kialandi as he recovered from his attack.

"Hold her." Said Formora as Carys ended the move.

Firnen and Kialandi held Carys in between them as Formora went to stand in front of her, putting Carys in between Formora and Ezra. She struggled, but the two held her fast. Formora brutally struck her with an Ice Beam, sending Carys flying through the air.

"Carys!" Ezra caught her.

"Hmm, I think maybe after My Lord is through with you two, I will allow Firnen to finish what he started at our last encounter and take the gift of sight from you permanently." Formora said to Carys with a sick, twisted smile.

Ezra and Carys gasped in utter horror.

"And then perhaps I will do the same to the Litwick myself. You only have one eye, after all. What would happen if it was put out, I wonder?" Formora went on, plainly enjoying their reactions.

"She_…_she's so…u-unkind. A-all in all, she's n-no g-g-good." Whispered Ezra, disgusted by what she was hearing.

"I d-definitely don't w-want to f-f-find what l-lies beneath th-that smile." Carys said soberly.

At that moment, Evan snapped out of his confusion.

"Finally. Now, let's begin!" Said Firnen as the four rushed the two.

First to attack was Evan with a Night Daze, which Ezra was too slow to dodge. The vicious attack sent her flying until she crashed against a smaller peak of the glacier. A combined Dragon Pulse-Shadow Ball-Earth Power attack from Team Renegade had Carys flying as well.

Formora stood over the two dazed Pokemon as her teammates stood nearby. Ezra and Carys huddled together, under Formora's cold, jaded eyes.

"You asked me once why I joined the Dark. Well, _this_ is why! This is why I fight!" She bellowed, striking them both with a Powder Snow.

The two cried out in pain.

"Does it hurt? Say goodbye to this world." She mocked as she sent them sprawling with another Shadow Ball.

Carys couldn't endure and fainted, using their last Reviver Seed.

"The tide's turning on us, Ez. We won't win this fight!" She whispered to Ezra.

"I kn-know. We're gonna h-have to r-run for it s-soon, before they d-decide to end us r-right here instead." Ezra whispered back, truly afraid now. It was clear they weren't going to win. They couldn't withstand four cruel Pokemon that were full of energy.

"Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra, catching the four by surprise. The volley of fire hit all four, angering them. In retrospect, that was a very big mistake.

"Now you've done it!" Roared Firnen. He hit Carys with a Dragon Claw, whereas Kialandi and Evan tag-teamed to hit Ezra with a Punishment/Dragon Breath combo. Needless to say, the two found themselves in a very dangerous situation.

"My sweet, would you care to do the honors with me?" Asked Formora, looking at Evan.

"No! Don't carry us under! Please, let us go back home! We have friends waiting for us, back at Lily Town." Pleaded Carys desperately.

"Of course, My Queen." Evan said as he and Formora finished Team Banshee with a Night Daze and Shadow Ball.

When Ezra came to, she hurt all over. She opened her eyes to see that only a few seconds had passed since she blacked out. Wincing, she managed to get to her feet. Beside her, Carys did the same.

"That was just a mere taste of what I am going to personally do to you two." Formora said matter-of-factly as her team came closer.

"Carys…You think we can use our badges way out here?" Ezra whispered grimly as the four surrounded them.

"Worth a shot. On three. One…" Counted Carys.

"Two…." Team Renegade and Evan drew even closer.

"Three!" She yelled as their foes were just about to grab them. Quickly, the two girls turned their badges to themselves, and were instantly beamed out of the dungeon.

"HEY!" Formora screamed with cheated rage. Quickly, she turned to Evan and put on a dashing smile.

"My dear, could you…?"

"On it, My Queen of Darkness!" Evan shouted as he bounded after the escaped enemies.

Immediately, Formora's face turned sour with distaste.

"You are quite the actress, My Lady." Commented Kialandi after Evan had left.

"It's easier to keep him in line that way. But honestly, he should have known better than to fall in love with _me._" She replied, snorting at Evan's lapse in judgment.

"Shouldn't we go after them?" Asked Firnen.

"Why rush? They're in no shape to fight. Evan will catch them shortly." Formora dismissed.

They ran as fast as they could on their exhausted legs, trying to put as much distance between them and Team Renegade. They had only made it half a mile before they collapsed in a sobbing heap, unable to go on.

"I can't run anymore!" Wailed Ezra.

"Me neither. Looks like it's the end of us." Whimpered Carys.

"Ezra! Carys!" Called a friendly voice. Right in front of them, Hoopa appeared.

"Hoopa! Oh, am I glad to see you!" Ezra sobbed in relief.

"I watched your fight. Here, have these, quick!" Hoopa gave them an Oran Berry each. Grateful, they downed the berries, feeling somewhat revitalized.

"That Zoroark will be here soon. You have to keep moving!" Hoopa berated, nudging them both to standing positions.

"Well, hurry up! Warp us back to town!" Exclaimed Ezra.

"Argh! No, he can't! I…Back at the glacier, I mentioned Lily Town. They know where we live." Carys said miserably.

"Why would you do that?!" Demanded Hoopa.

"I wasn't thinking clearly! We were about to be defeated, and then I started rambling on about our friends back home! I'm sorry." Carys said meekly.

"Well, there's no use going back home, at least for a while. They'd only bring Dark forces with them, and we wouldn't stand a chance. Hmm…I have an idea, but it's a long shot." Hoopa thought quickly.

"Anything!" Ezra shouted.

"Well…my friend Victini could shelter you until it was safe to return. But she lives on the other side of the continent. It'll take days for you two to get to her." Hoopa frowned.

"We'll take that risk. Where does she live?" Ezra asked impatiently, looking out for Evan and Team Renegade.

"Get out your maps. …Okay, Victini lives at the end of Destiny Ridge, which is here. The easiest way to get there is by travelling through Breezy Savanna, then Whistling Steppe, Rumbling Volcano, and Wither Swamp." Said Hoopa, indicating each dungeon as he said its name.

"That's so far…Why can't you warp us there?" Asked Carys.

"For one, you'll be knocked out, and two, I don't have time! That Zoroark is almost here; I can sense him. Tell Victini that I sent you. Here, give her my hoop so she'll believe you. Now go! I'll hold the Zoroark as long as I can." Hoopa said impatiently, giving Ezra his hoop.

"But…how will you win without your hoop?" Asked Carys.

Hoopa smiled sadly.

"They'll kidnap you!" Exclaimed Ezra, horrified at what Hoopa was planning to do.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. Don't worry about me! They can't hold this trickster for long. Goodbye, friends! I will see you again someday. Tell Victini I said hello!" Hoopa said. They could hear someone—Evan—approaching nearby.

Ezra wanted to stay behind, to help Hoopa, but Carys tugged her onwards. The Oran Berries had given them some strength, and they pressed on, saddened by Hoopa's sacrifice. Ezra ran and ran, clutching Hoopa's hoop to her stomach, vowing to rescue her friend as soon as they could.

Formora met Evan near Snowy Crevice. A small purple Pokemon lay unconscious beneath her. Apparently he had tried to stop Evan, to no avail.

"He sure led me on a merry chase for quite a while. But in the end, I got him, My Lady." He grinned.

"What about the other two?" Asked Kialandi, now holding a large brown bag over his shoulder.

"Escaped. But I heard something about a Victini? What's that?" Evan asked in response.

"Victini is a legendary Pokemon. They must be seeking her out for help. Dearest Evan, could you track them for me? Only a big, strong Pokemon like you could ever hope to catch them." Formora said coyly, putting a hand near her mouth. Inwardly she seethed at having to pretend to love a simple mercenary like Evan. She vowed that when she had no need of him anymore, she would crush his pathetic heart.

"My Lady, I am the best tracker in the world! I will catch them just for you! But first, what are you going to do with him? Should I…?" Evan trailed off as he laid one taloned claw on the purple Pokemon's throat.

"No, leave him. I will question him once he wakes up." Formora said after a moment.

"As you wish, My Lady. I will depart now, dearest Formora. I will see you soon." Evan said as he bounded off after the fugitives.

"What are you going to do now, Formora?" Asked Firnen once they were alone.

"I'm going to wait until this Pokemon here wakes up, and then I will question him more about Team Banshee and this 'Lily Town' place. You two head back to base; I'll return shortly." She answered.

"Very well. Goodbye." Said Kialandi as he used a Warp Orb to transport himself and Firnen back to their home.

Formora stood next to the purple Pokemon, curious as to what he was. A sound from nearby made her snap to attention.

"Who's there?!" She demanded, scouring the nearby bushes.

**God, this took forever to write! X_X If any of the dialogue seems off, I'm aware of it. It was intentional :}**

**Thanks to Xorobukkit for Evan! So sorry about the long wait! :) **

**The next post will contain: A savanna, a steppe, and lots of running.**


	32. Chapter 32

It felt like they had been running forever. They were exhausted and hungry, but they dared not stop, determined to put as much distance between them and Evan as possible. It was well into the afternoon by now, and the adrenaline boost was wearing off fast. Finally, they collapsed in a heap, panting nonstop. They had come to a grassy plain. Fortunately, there was a river nearby, and they drank the cool sweet water blissfully. Even though their bodies were screaming for a long, long rest, they only stopped for a few minutes.

"Where…where are we?" Asked Ezra, scanning the area they had traversed, looking for their pursuer. She couldn't see him across the vast plain, but that didn't mean he wasn't on their trail. A part of her was hopeful that Hoopa had managed to defeat him, but in her heart she knew he couldn't possibly have. She looked down forlornly at the gold hoop she was clutching in her hands. Doubly weak to dark-types, and stripped of his warping ability, Hoopa was severely mismatched against the menacing Zoroark. Even so, he _was_ a legendary…Ezra shook her head. She couldn't think about what may or may not have happened back at the snowfield. They had to find Victini until it was safe for them to return home.

"I think we're near the first dungeon we're supposed to go to. We ran southeast from Snowy Crevice to this plain, where Breezy Savanna is. I think if we keep following this river, we'll get there in a few minutes, if I'm interpreting the map correctly." Replied Carys, looking at their Wonder Map.

"Ugh, can't we rest for a few more minutes? My heart still feels like it's going to burst from my chest any second." Groaned Ezra, flopping down onto the soft grass, taking care not to accidentally set the entire biome alight with her fire.

"Believe me, I would love to. Hmm…." Carys trailed off, looking up at the sky.

"What are you doing?" Asked Ezra curiously. Carys didn't answer.

"Aha! Heyyy! Down here!" She called after a moment at a Pidgey flying above. It noticed the two and spiraled down to meet them.

"Yes?" He inquired, tilting his head to one side.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but could we ask a favor? It's urgent." Carys begged.

"Depends." The Pidgey replied.

"We think we're being followed by a Zoroark. Could you fly towards Snowy Crevice and tells us if you see him, please? We'll give you 300 Poke for your trouble." Ezra offered, seeing what Carys was doing.

"500." The Pidgey bartered.

"400." Carys countered.

"Deal." The Pidgey nodded, spreading his wings and taking off.

"We'll be at Breezy Savanna!" Carys called after him. The Pidgey cawed to show that he heard.

Ezra and Carys set off once more, this time taking it easier. They not-quite-jogged over to Breezy Savanna, which was about twenty minutes away. The dungeon seemed pleasant enough. The smell of wind and grass wafted from it, and the wall appeared to be made out of dense brush.

"Well, here we are. How far are we to Destiny Ridge?" Asked Ezra, staring up at the dungeon.

"Very far. It'll take us days to get there." Carys responded despondently.

"Seriously?! It was hard enough travelling from Lily Town to Snowy Crevice." Moaned Ezra, not relishing the long journey to the southeast coast.

"Lily Town's only 700 miles from the north. We travelled there in two days." Carys reminded her.

"Only because that Tropius was nice enough to give us ride halfway through." Grumbled Ezra.

"Well, maybe we can get another ride. I don't want to have to walk that far either." Sighed Carys.

"Hey, you two." Said a voice from above. They looked up to find Pidgey circling ahead.

"What'd you find?" Asked Ezra, getting up.

"Your Zoroark? Well, he's about three hours on foot behind you two. And he looks like he wants blood. So, if I were you, I'd step on it. Now, my payment…?" He reported.

"Three _hours?!_ We gotta move! Oh, here you go. Thank you!" Exclaimed Ezra, getting to her feet in alarm. She quickly paid the Pidgey his money, and he flew off into the sky without a word.

"This is bad. Come on, Ez, we _really_ don't have any time to waste!" Said Carys, frightened.

They had no apples, no Gummis, and no Reviver Seeds. Dungeon exploring had never seemed so daunting before. Swallowing their fear, they entered the Breezy Savanna.

**Breezy Savanna ( watch?v=CVMt1QSnw4U)**

**B1F**

"Hopefully this dungeon's not too long. My feet are _killing _me." Groaned Ezra.

"And hopefully it has food and Reviver Seeds, otherwise we're in for a hard time." Carys chimed in.

"I can't believe he's only a few hours away from us." Ezra said in a small voice.

"I'd suggest we run for it, but we also can't get too hungry while we're in here. Argh, I don't know what to do!" Shouted Carys in frustration.

"Let's just go as fast as we can. If we see berries along the way, we'll eat them in order to preserve our strength." Suggested Ezra. Carys nodded.

"Good plan. Alright, let's go. We need to put more distance between us and Evan."

**B2F**

They were busy fighting a Tauros that refused to be defeated. Whenever it seemed close to faint, it would restore its health using Rest. It was also buffed up with Work Up and Rage. Its attacks didn't hurt them too much, as it mainly had normal-type moves, but it was annoying nevertheless.

"I'm sick of this. Confuse Ray!" Stormed Carys, sending out two purple balls of light that twirled around the Tauros' head, rendering it confused.

"Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra, determined to put a stop to this ceaseless fight.

"Aaaand Razor Leaf!" Chimed Carys. _Finally_ the Tauros was defeated.

"Ugh, about time. We'll never elude Evan at this rate." Sighed Ezra.

"What does he see in Formora, anyway?" Asked Carys.

"Dunno. I always thought her to be too sadistic to love anybody, but apparently I'm wrong." Commented Ezra.

"What if she's just using him? It's obvious he's gaga over her; it would be just like her to manipulate him into doing whatever she wanted." Countered Carys.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I guess we'll never know." Ezra shrugged.

**B3F**

"Stairs." They said at the same time.

**B4F**

They had been travelling for a while when they came to a chamber with a precious item inside.

"An apple!" Ezra and Carys exclaimed gleefully, rushing over to pick it up.

"Well, one apple is better than no apple." Said Carys cheerfully.

"Right. Maybe the other floors have more!" Ezra nodded in agreement.

They searched the rest of the floor, but no more apples were to be found.

**B5F**

"I love it when the Stairs spawn with us. But now that we're being hunted, I'm _really_ glad they're here with us." Said Carys to Ezra.

**B6F**

"Oh, awesome. More Stairs." Ezra sighed in relief.

**B7F**

This floor was like a labyrinth. Different corridors greeted them at every turn, and the many chambers they came across held almost nothing in them. Multiple Pokemon roamed this floor, much to their chagrin. They had wanted to get out of the dungeon as quickly as possible, but this floor was making it hard to do so. Eventually, a Bouffalant came to fight them while they were in a chamber, delaying them even further. It started off with a Head Charge at Carys, who easily dodged.

"Hah! You missed me!" She gloated. It turned around and surprised her with a Megahorn, which sent her flying.

"Carys!" Ezra shouted as her friend soared through the air. Carys couldn't faint, not when they didn't have any Reviver Seeds!

"Ugh…I'm fine. Just…winded, is all. Beat that Bouffalant for me, will ya?" Carys responded after a moment, dazed.

"Will do. Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra, angry at the foe for hurting her best friend. If anything, the attack only made the Bouffalant angry. Snorting violently, it charged at her with another Head Charge, catching her arm as she spun out of the way.

"Ach!" She grunted, more from the sensation of being hit rather than the pain. She looked up at her foe, who was digging its front hoof into the ground.

"You really think that hurt me?" She asked it, eyebrow raised. In response, it tried to hit her with a Thrash—but she was quick to dodge this time.

"Ember." She said, sounding almost bored.

"And Razor Leaf." Carys chimed in unexpectedly, KOing the Bouffalant.

"You okay?" Asked Ezra as she handed Carys an Oran Berry.

"I am now." Said Carys after she had eaten the berry.

"Good. Come on, here's a corridor we haven't gone down yet. Maybe this one leads to the Stairs."

It didn't, but after a few more minutes they eventually found the Stairs.

**B8F**

This floor was also like a labyrinth. They came across countless rooms, but no Stairs. They did, however, come across another apple, which made them happy until Ezra accidentally stepped on a Mud Trap, lowering her special defense. She was not pleased with that, and naturally no Wonder Tiles were around. They came across two Girafarig while travelling through the corridors.

"Night Shade!" Shouted Ezra, sending the red pulses at the first Girafarig. Trapped on all sides, it had no choice but to take the attack. Snorting with rage, it returned with a Psybeam. Ezra dodged the attack by diving into the walls where it couldn't get her. Carys hit it with a Shadow Sneak, and it retaliated with a Stomp, which didn't faze her at all.

"I'll start on the next one. You finish this one off." Said Ezra to Carys from within the wall. Carys nodded and resumed attacking the Girafarig.

"Ember!" Said Ezra, surprising the next foe with an Ember attack. It squealed in pain, and developed a burn. By now, Carys had defeated the first Girafarig and was helping Ezra with the current one.

"Razor Leaf! Hey, nice job with that Ember." She commented as they combined their attacks to finish it off.

"Thanks." Said Ezra as she came out from the wall.

They continued along the corridor, and to their delight in led to the room with the beloved Stairs. There was a familiar-looking pink scarf next to it.

"Ohhhh! A Stamina Band!" Gasped Ezra, running over to pick it up.

"Take it! It works wonders!" Encouraged Carys. Ezra tied the scarf around her neck. She didn't feel any different, but she knew it worked. She had seen the effects herself.

"If we're going to be running hundreds of miles each day across the continent, then I'm glad both of us will have one of these." She agreed as they descended.

**Breezy Plains**

They had finally made it to the end of the dungeon.

"About time! Where are we now?" Asked Ezra as Carys consulted their map.

"I think a few miles from the entrance to Breezy Plains. Hmm, there are a few hours left until nightfall. Should we run until we can't run anymore, then call it a night?" Asked Carys.

"We can't fall asleep; not while Evan's chasing us! He'll catch up to us!" Objected Ezra.

"You're right. Hmm…" Carys thought.

Ezra looked around. The terrain hadn't changed too much; the grass was a different shade of green, but that was about it. The river ran steadily beside them, not caring one or another about the two ghost-types.

"I have an idea. Let me see the map" She said. Carys handed her it, and she scrutinized it. The river beside them was heading in the opposite direction they were going. It would begin to head northeast after a few miles, whereas they were heading southeast. Ezra went over to a large fern and broke off a large strand. "Evan's probably tracking us by my footprints. Let's follow the river for a while, and then I'll make it seem as if I jumped into the river to lose him. But we'll actually be going in the opposite direction, with me wiping my tracks away with this fern. That way, he'll be heading north while we head south. Once night falls, we can fall asleep without worrying about him." She explained.

"Genius! Only one problem: how will we disguise our scent?" Asked Carys. Ezra thought hard.

"We'll follow the river until we find a patch of sagebrush. It has a strong smell, so that should disguise us. Once we roll around in it, I'll make us look like we jumped in the river." She said after a moment.

"Got it. Well, let's go!" Said Carys as they broke into a run again.

The Stamina Band was definitely working. She had started to get tired on the fifth mile, when it would normally be the first. They hadn't passed any sagebrush just yet, but Ezra was confident that they would soon. They slowed down to a jog when they couldn't full-out run anymore, and by the eighth mile they had found a patch of sagebrush. Good thing, too, as they were exhausted.

"Okay…we're here." Ezra panted.

"Yeah…." Carys agreed, out of breath.

"I'll do the thing now." Said Ezra, walking up to the riverbank, taking care that her footprints were visible. Then she turned and went over to the sagebrush patch, using her fern leaf to brush away her tracks. From this view, it looked as if she had indeed jumped into the river.

"Ready?" She asked Carys, who nodded. "Ready."

They dove into the patch of sagebrush, rolling around and around until they could smell nothing but the fragrant plant.

"Okay, I think we're good. Let's just continue walking for a bit, and when the moon rises we'll call it a night." Suggested Ezra, looking up at the sky. The sun was just beginning to set.

"Alright, but I hope the moon rises soon. I don't know how long I can keep going." Agreed Carys.

"I hear you." Sighed Ezra, whose feet were throbbing. She had had few chances to rest her abused feet today, and they needed to be far away from this area when Evan arrived.

Gearing up for a painful evening, the two walked away from the river, not once looking back. After a few miles, the two couldn't stand any longer and collapsed onto the ground.

"My feet _huuuurrrrrt_." Complained Ezra.

"I can't float anymore. I'm too tired." Agreed Carys.

"Ugh, let's call it a night. Luckily there's no rain and it's warm out. I think we'll be safe out here." Suggested Ezra. There was no response from Carys.

"Carys?" She asked, looking over to find that her friend had fallen fast asleep.

Ezra chuckled. "You have the right idea. Good night, Carys."

The next day, feeling tired and stiff from sleeping on the ground, the two explorers woke up a few hours after dawn.

"My feet feel a little bit better. I could do with a nice, long day in bed, but alas, we should get going." Ezra commented.

"Evan didn't catch us, so he must've fallen for our trick." Carys grinned.

"It might not fool him for long. He wouldn't dare risk angering Formora." Warned Ezra.

"You're right." Carys sighed, slowly getting up.

The two set off for the day, taking it slow and easy, averaging about four miles an hour. It was a long and arduous trip through the savanna, and they took care to ration their food, only eating half an apple for lunch. Luckily, there were numerous watering holes throughout the area, so water was not especially hard to come by.

They came to a small inn as the sun was setting. 150 Poke later and they had full bellies and a warm room for the night. The innkeepers even had a contraption called a Kangaskhan Rock, which allowed explorers to withdraw and deposit items while in the field. They got out more apples and Reviver Seeds, and headed to bed. They slept blissfully through the night, but morning came with sinister news.

Their hosts, a kind Butterfree and his wife, had received word from a friend up north.

"He said a Zoroark came to his village jus' last night, askin' bout a Pumpkaboo an' a Litwick. He said he hadn't seen 'em, an' the Zoroark went south." Mr. Butterfree told them over breakfast.

"What?! Where was this?" Ezra demanded worriedly.

"My friend lives bout seventy miles north o' here. He responded.

"We gotta get going, Ez!" Carys hissed.

"Why are you two runnin' from this fellow?" Mrs. Butterfree asked.

"We angered some bad Pokemon, and he's trying to catch us. So sorry, but we have to get as far away from that Zororark as we can. Thank you for letting us stay the night." Ezra said hastily as they prepared to go.

"If we see him, we'll tell him that ya'll went west." Mrs. Butterfree said when they were ready to go.

"Thanks a bunch. Goodbye!" Ezra called as the two set off again.

This time, they ran as fast as they could, stopping only for water. In the middle of the afternoon, they arrived at their next destination: Whistling Steppe. The name fit, as wind blew through the tall grass continuously.

"We made it…" Ezra panted.

"Yep…." Carys agreed.

"Let's rest for an hour, and then we'll go in." Suggested Ezra. Carys, too tired to speak, nodded.

Once the hour was up and some of their energy had been restored, they headed inside the dungeon.

**Woo, another post! Yay! Before I sign off, I have a few announcements: **

**I am no longer accepting OCs. Sorry. I've received so many, and I feel it would be harmful to the plot if I kept introducing OCs up until the final battle. It would also be unfair of me to throw a new OC at you guys and have them appear for only one or two posts. Unfortunately, I may have to decline one or two that I've already received. I do apologize for the inconvenience. However, there may or may not be post-story shenanigans and possibly a sequel of sorts once this story ends ( I'll formally ask if you guys want more once I say "The End", so don't answer that just yet), so I may have need of your OCs again! :) **

**I've been asked why Hoopa didn't just warp Ez and Carys to Victini, unconscious or not. The answer is: because plot. …Okay fine, have a better explanation. Victini isn't really into surprise visitors, unconscious or not. They would've been immediately booted far away from Destiny Ridge. **

"**But Remi," you say, "Hoopa could've just told her what was going on!" Not really. All Hoopa would've had time to say would be something along the lines of, "Victini! Friends! Help!" To someone who has no idea what's going on, that's pretty confusing, isn't it? Evan was **_**just**_** about to appear, so lengthy explanations were out of the question.**

**But the biggest reason is because such a hasty and reckless warp like that may have damaged the two permanently. In order to minimize the harm caused, Hoopa needs time to CAREFULLY and GENTLY transport Team Banshee to Victini. Even under those conditions, they would've been knocked out for a short time. But since Hoopa would have had to essentially toss the two through his hoop, there was a very real chance of serious harm. They could have, oh I don't know, lost all of their memories except their name and species (hint hint). Or they might have fused together. I don't know. **

**How are you guys liking the music? :3 **

**Anyways, that's all from me. See you tomorrow!**

**The next post will contain: A steppe, a bloodthirsty love-struck Zoroark, and a volcano.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Whistling Steppe ( watch?v=IBIvac4usOA)**

**B1F**

"He's almost here!" Wailed Ezra as they immediately started running through the dungeon. They had plenty of apples, as well as Stamina Bands, so they could afford the drain.

"We've _really_ gotta get through this dungeon, and fast!" Hissed Carys as they dove into the wall to avoid fighting a Skarmory in a corridor. They had no time for fighting.

"It seemed he was fooled by our footprint trick, as least for a time. Doubtless he would've been right on our tails if he hadn't been." Speculated Ezra.

"We don't have the time to think about the what-ifs, Ezra! We need to focus all of our energy on getting outta here as fast as possible!" Chastised Carys as they ran through the walls. Normally the walls doubled the stamina drain, but their Stamina Bands canceled out the negative effects. Thus, their bellies were being drained at a normal rate.

**B2F**

They spawned with the Stairs, along with a Spearow. It was between them and the Stairs, which meant that they had to waste precious time by battling it.

"Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra, sending out the volley of fire onto the Spearow, who was too slow to dodge.

"Astonish!" Carys followed up. The Spearow didn't seem to mind the attack much, but it was enough to make it start wobbling on its feet. It then dove at Carys, slapping her with its wings as it Pecked her face.

"Get it off! Get it off!" She screamed, flailing, trying and failing to dislodge the foe.

"Uh…" Ezra hesitated. All of her attacks were going to hit Carys as well, and the friendly fire could hurt her very badly. She looked in the bag for anything that could help. Throwing items…no. Seeds…no. She noticed an Orb that wasn't there at Breezy Savanna. She picked it up, and found that it was a Foe-Seal Orb. Perfect!

She threw the Orb at the two tussling Pokemon, taking care to aim at their feet. The Orb broke, and a swirling purple mist wafted up and around the Spearow, instantly making it paralyzed. Unable to move, it dropped to the floor, rigid.

"Took your time, didn't ya?" Grumbled Carys as Ezra finished the Spearow off with an Ember.

"Sorry. I was worried about friendly fire." Apologized Ezra.

"Fair enough, but be swifter next time, please."

**B3F**

"Should we wall-travel and split up at the same time? That way, we can cover a lot of area in half the time." Suggested Carys.

"Good idea." Nodded Ezra, who looked around the chamber they spawned in. "There are three exits in here: north, south, and east. I'll take the north exit and head west, and you can take the southeast part of the floor."

"Deal. Good luck." Said Carys.

"Same to you." Replied Ezra as they split up. She went down the northern tunnel, ducking into the walls whenever she encountered an enemy Pokemon. Normally she wouldn't mind battling, but since Evan was right behind them, they needed to be as far away from him as possible. The closer they were to Destiny Ridge, the better.

She came to a chamber with three Wonder Tiles, a Grass Gummi, a Brown Gummi, and a Totter Orb in it. Just as she stepped inside, fifteen Pokemon fell from the ceiling **(*Cue Monster House theme*)**.

"Argh! Not a Monster House!" She scowled. She wanted the items, but it wasn't worth a 15v1 fight. Suddenly, without warning, all of the items promptly disappeared. She blinked, then rubbed her eye to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. When she opened her eye again, the items were still gone, but the enemies remained. They drew closer, sensing an easy win. She was just one lone Pokemon up against three Poochyena, two Skarmory, four Nidorino, a Nidorina, and five Spearow.

"Nope." Said Ezra as she ducked back into the walls, leaving behind the fifteen bewildered and disappointed foes. A few minutes later, she felt the tugging sensation that meant Carys had descended down the Stairs.

**B4F**

"Heya!" Greeted Carys.

"The weirdest thing happened to me on the last floor." Began Ezra.

"All the items disappeared for no reason?" Smirked Carys.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I found a Trawl Orb. And I used it." Carys said mischievously.

"Ohhhh, okay. That makes much more sense. What else did you get?" Asked Ezra, curious.

"Let's see…I got a Luminous Orb, a Totter Orb, a Brown Gummi, a Grass Gummi, 563 Poke, and an X-Eye Seed." Reported Carys, rummaging through the bag.

"Nice. Let's use the Luminous Orb so we can get out of here." Suggested Ezra.

"On it." Said Carys, breaking the Orb at her feet. She blinked as the effects came into use.

"The Stairs are three chambers away from the southern corridor. There are no enemies along the way." She said after a moment.

"Awesome." Said Ezra as Carys led the way.

**B5F**

"Good, the Stairs are here. The less time we waste by looking for them, the better." Carys breathed a sigh of relief.

**B6F-B7F**

These two floors weren't terribly exciting. Ezra and Carys split up to wall-travel through the floor, ignoring any Pokemon they encountered.

**B8F**

"Here they are." Said Carys, noticing that they had spawned with the Stairs.

**B9F**

On this floor, however, they spawned with a Nidorina, a Houndour, and a Warp Orb.

"You confuse the Houndour, and then we'll go after the Nidorina." Said Ezra to Carys, who nodded.

"Yah!" Shouted Ezra, throwing a Silver Spike at the Nidorina, who was a few meters away from them. It shrugged it off and kept going.

"Confuse Ray!" Ezra heard Carys shout as the former hurled another Spike. This time, to her surprise, the Nidorina _caught_ it. It threw the Spike right back at her, and she was too surprised to do anything but take it. The Silver Spike impaled itself right in Ezra's foot. She grunted with pain, and winced as she pulled it out, where it broke in two.

"That. Really. Hurt!" She growled at it. When it came within range, she hit it with a Hex attack. It howled in pain and struck her with a Double Kick. Luckily, though, it didn't do much damage. Ezra finished it off with a Night Shade, then came to join Carys, who was striking the Houndour with a regular attack.

"Hah!" Ezra yelled as she hurled a Silver Spike at the Houndour. It fell to the ground, but got back up again, snapping out of its confusion.

"I've been battering it for a while; it should fall to a Shadow-Flame." Carys said as they narrowly dodged a Crunch attack.

"Sounds good. On three. One…two…three!" Shouted Ezra as they struck their foe with a simultaneous Flame Burst and Shadow Sneak.

"Whew! Good job." Exclaimed Carys.

"Back at ya." Said Ezra as she picked up the Warp Orb.

**B10F**

"Stairs." Ezra noticed.

**B11F**

Once again splitting up to wall-travel, the two searched for the Stairs. Or, rather, Carys did, because Ezra rested her aching feet in the next chamber. She sat down, letting her feet recover. All of the running they did the past two days was really starting to take a toll on her. A part of her felt guilty about just sitting there are doing nothing while Carys looked for the Stairs, but another part of her argued that she needed to rest her feet if she was going to make it to Victini's dungeon. She decided to let Carys rest on the next floor while she searched for the Stairs, to make things even.

**B12F**

"I'm starting to get hungry, are you?" Asked Carys once Ezra was teleported to her.

"A bit, but I can handle it. Listen, Carys, on the last floor I…I wasn't searching for the Stairs. I was actually resting my feet the entire time. So, you can wait here while I search for them." Admitted Ezra.

"Uh, okay." Frowned Carys.

"Great! Then it's settled. You rest here and I'll find the Stairs. I'll be quick, don't worry." Smiled Ezra as she left a somewhat-bewildered Carys.

It took her a few minutes, but eventually she found the Stairs.

**Whistling Steppe Clearing**

They came to the end of the dungeon, which held sparse grass and wide-open space as far as the eye can see.

"Wow…It's so beautiful here!" Marveled Carys as they took in the scenery.

"It's flat, too, which is good. That way we can see Evan coming from miles away." Agreed Ezra.

"Oh, but I'm already here." Said a voice from behind. They turned to find Evan exiting the dungeon, a lazy, sinister grin on his face.

"Oh no." Ezra whimpered.

"Oh yes." Laughed Evan, flexing his claws in anticipation as he stalked closer to them.

"I gotta say, you two are quite elusive. Took me a while to find your trail again." He said, almost conversationally.

"How'd you find us?" Demanded Carys.

"Well, I fell for your little misdirection trick back at that last dungeon. I followed the river until I hit a small village. A little chat with the residents and I learned that you two had tricked me. So, I headed south, where I met some innkeepers who told me that you were heading west. I know that you guys are heading south, so I roughed them up a bit for lying to me. Then I found your tracks again. And here we are!" He snickered.

"You know where we're going? And are the Butterfrees okay?" Asked Ezra, sad that their allies were hurt.

"Eh, they'll live. And besides, back at the village up north, I asked the people there about Victini. They told me she lives in Destiny Ridge, which is across the continent." Evan shrugged.

"How do you know about Victini?" Asked Carys suspiciously.

"I heard you guys talking about her back at the snowfield. Now that we're all caught up, can we get this show on the road? I'd like to bring your lifeless bodies to my sweet Formora before dark." Evan said casually, stalking over to them.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Hold up. Formora wants us alive." Argued Ezra, hoping she misheard the tall dark-type.

"She does, but you made her very, very angry. And I can't stand to see my true love in so much pain. So, as a token of my utter devotion to her, I decided I would kill you two instead, and bring your heads back to her." He grinned maliciously.

Ezra's eye grew wide, and her heart skipped a few beats. It was one thing to face capture, but _death_? Beside her, Carys was too stunned to move. Evan drew closer and closer, relishing their terror. Ezra knew she had to do _something_, but what? She grabbed their bag and looked inside. Maybe there was something they could use in here…? She saw two items that might work.

"Um, can we have a last request?" She piped up timidly, readying herself for what she was about to do.

"Maybe. What is it?" Evan asked as he stood over them, claws glinting wickedly off of the afternoon sun.

"Catch!" She shrieked as she threw the Totter Orb right at his face. It shattered, and a purple light shone from the broken Orb. It looked just like Carys' Confuse Ray.

"Ow! What the…?" Evan trailed off as he got a glassy look in his eyes. He turned around and around as the confusion set in.

Taking advantage of his helplessness, Ezra then threw the Warp Orb at him. Upon shattering, it teleported him somewhere beyond their view. Which was a good thing, as they could see for miles in all directions.

"Come on!" Ezra yelled impatiently, grabbing Carys and running away from the area as fast as she could. Snapping back to attention, Carys broke free of Ezra's grasp and ran alongside her.

"That…was…amazing! What you did, I….I can't even describe it!" She gasped in awe. "I was so scared, I couldn't move or think! But you…you just threw Orbs at him and he went away! I don't know whether to laugh or cry!"

"You can do either, as long as you keep running! I want to be as far away from here as possible!" Said Ezra.

"Right." Nodded Carys.

They ran and ran for miles, again stopping only for water. It was almost sundown by the time they arrived at the third dungeon, Rumbling Volcano. The terrain had steadily gone from plains to mountains, and the entrance to the dungeon was made entirely out of dried lava.

"We made it…" Panted Ezra.

"Yes." Carys said simply.

"He…he knows where we're going…" Trailed Ezra.

"That means we just have to get there first." Said Carys.

Just then, a small tremor shook the land. It wasn't enough to do serious damage, but it did knock Ezra and Carys to the ground.

"Oof! I think I know why they call it Rumbling Volcano." Winced Ezra, getting back to her feet after the tremor stopped.

"You don't say? Hmm, I think we should get through this dungeon as quickly as we can, otherwise we'll die either at the hands of Evan or the volcano." Said Carys, looking up at the large mountain.

"Yeah. Let's get going." Said Ezra.

**Rumbling Volcano ( watch?v=5x9h_8ELES8)**

**1F**

The terrain was different from that outside. The floor was made of smooth, tannish rock, and the walls were made of light gray stone.

"I've never been inside a volcano before." Commented Ezra, looking around.

"And we'll only be in here for a short time! Come on, I don't want to be murdered by the volcano. Or by Evan." Carys demanded impatiently.

"Do you really think he was going to do it?" Ezra asked in a small voice a minute later.

"I don't know, and I don't want to find out." Carys shook her head.

But Ezra was lost in her own thoughts.

_He truly is in love with Formora, and he'd do anything to please her. If he thought killing us would make her happy, then he would do it without batting an eyelash. But I could have sworn she wants us alive. If he killed us, would she be mad or happy? _She had no answers, and felt miserable for the rest of the floor.

**2F**

They found a Magby wandering in one of the corridors. Ezra surprised it with a Hex from behind, and a Shadow Sneak from Carys ensured that it never had the chance to attack them. Silently, they resumed their trek.

"About time we came across a fire-type-heavy dungeon." Ezra said, unable to stand the silence any longer.

"Yeah." Carys nodded curtly.

"We'll be out of here soon, and I won't let any fire-types hit you." Ezra went on.

"Okay." Said Carys.

Ezra couldn't really blame Carys for not speaking much. It was a horrible feeling, to know that someone wanted to murder you in cold blood.

**3F**

They saw that the Stairs had spawned with them. Wordlessly, they ascended.

**4F**

On this floor, there were pools of lava scattered here and there.

"You know, you can walk on lava." Carys broke her silence.

"I can?" Ezra responded, surprised.

"Yeah. In dungeons, fire-types can walk on lava. I can too, since I can float."

"Are you sure?" Fretted Ezra, who had no desire to be cooked alive by the volcano.

"Yeah. See that Torkoal?" Carys nodded at a Torkoal that was walking across the lava towards them.

"If…if you say so. Once we beat this Torkoal, I'll try it." Ezra said hesitantly.

The Torkoal stopped and exhaled a Flamethrower, straight as Ezra. She simply absorbed the fire with her Flash Fire Ability and threw an extra-powerful Flame Burst right back at it. It screeched and came charging at them—only to fall from Carys' Razor Leaf.

Now that the threat was gone, Ezra gingerly stepped up to the lava lake.

_If the Torkoal can, I can…_She thought, nervously dipping a toe in the lava. She fully expected to be engulfed in pain, but to her surprise she wasn't hurt. She plunged in, and was amazed to find that the lava around her felt like being in a steaming hot bath. She resurfaced, and found Carys standing a few yards away, wary of the lava.

"You were right!" She exclaimed. Carys smiled wanly. "This is amazing! I love it!"

Delighted by her discovery, Ezra spent most of the floor travelling in the lava alongside Carys, who did not want to float above the lava. She claimed that doing such a thing would give her a burn, even though she wouldn't actually be touching it.

**5F**

They decided to wall-travel through this floor, as another tremor made them fearful about an eruption. Both of them ate an apple to replenish their strength, and they set of in different directions. It kind of felt like cheating, as they were supposed to use the corridors and chambers, but time was of the essence. The further away from Evan they were, the better.

**6F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

"Ooooh, it's sunny." Breathed Ezra, soaking of the rays.

"Ooooh, the Stairs are here." Breathed Carys, noticing the stone stairwell.

**7F**

"They're here again." Commented Ezra, seeing the Stairs.

**8F**

The terrain had changed into a deep, brownish-gold color. The walls were now dark brown, and little spigots of lava were oozing from the walls and down to the floor. The temperature had also been steadily increasing as they ascended. After having experienced the bitter cold of the north, the sweltering heat of a volcano only dampened their mood. They came to a chamber with a Rawst Berry, but when they went to pick it up, they found that they had no room in their bag.

"Uh oh. Well, do we really need a Rawst Berry anyway?" Asked Ezra.

"In this dungeon, yes." Responded Carys.

"Good point. What do we have?"

"Two Stamina Bands, the Shard from the north, Hoopa's hoop, Silver Spikes, Gravelrocks, four apples, a Brown Gummi, a Grass Gummi, three Oran Berries, two Blast Seeds, four Reviver Seeds, a Blinker Seed, an X-Eye Seed, and an Escape Orb." Reported Carys.

"Hmm….can we make it to Destiny Ridge on four apples?" Inquired Ezra, thinking.

"We should keep them, just in case we need them. I guess we can eat a Gummi." Carys shrugged.

"That'll work. I'll eat the Brown Gummi." Offered Ezra, taking it and eating it.

"…Rice." She said after a moment. Carys chuckled as she put the Rawst berry in the bag.

**9F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

More wall-travelling occurred. They ignored everything—even items. All they cared about was finding the Stairs.

**10F**

"Stairs are nice." Carys said simply.

**11F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

They wall-travelled throughout the floor, searching for the Stairs. Ezra had accidentally found a Slumber Trap while heading for some Poke, and promptly fell asleep. When she finally awoke, she was surprised to see that she was on the next floor.

**12F**

**(*Cue Monster House theme*)** Thirteen Pokemon fell from the sky as soon as they spawned.

"WHY?!" Ezra screamed at the heavens. They were surrounded on all sides by enemy Pokemon.

"The western wall is closest to us. Let's try to fight out way to the walls, and then we can wall-travel out." Suggested Carys as she Shadow Sneaked a Torchic that was a little too close to them.

"Good plan." Nodded Ezra, one-shotting a Charmander with a Hex.

There were three Pokemon in between them and the wall. They were: a Cyndaquil, a Torkoal, and a Flareon. The Flareon was closest.

"Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra.

"No!" Cried Carys as the attack was absorbed by Flareon. "Flareon has Flash Fire as well! You'll just—ack!" She wailed as a Fire Blast KO'd her. The Flareon had decided to attack Carys instead of Ezra.

"Hey! How dare you! Night Shade!" Stormed Ezra, weakening the Flareon. It snarled and Growled, lowering her attack.

"Oh no, whatever shall I do?" Ezra said sarcastically. All of her attacks were special attacks. To emphasize her point, she defeated the Flareon with a Hex, just as Carys was revived.

"You okay?" She called, dodging an Ancientpower from the Torkoal.

"Ugh, yeah." Winced Carys as she and Ezra Night-Leafed the Torkoal, leaving only the Cyndaquil.

Ezra felt more attacks hit her, but they were all fire-type moves, so she was strengthened instead of weakened. Carys, meanwhile, was knocked out once more by a tag-teaming Quilava and Magmar. One extra-hot Flame Burst later and they dove into the wall, thankful to be out of the Monster House.

**13F**

They spawned with the Stairs, are were ascending just as a Magby entered the room, looking angry at seeing the fleeing women.

**14F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny **

After lots of wall-travelling, Ezra finally found the Stairs. Unfortunately, it was guarded by a Magmar. Fortunately, her Flash Fire ensured that this fight wouldn't be too hard; she just needed to stick to her ghost-type moves. She opened with a Night Shade, drawing the foe's attention. Angry, it tried to hit her with a Flamethrower—but she absorbed it instead. Another Night Shade and it was down.

**Rumbling Volcano Peak**

They arrived at the peak of the volcano just as night was falling. An orange glow from inside the volcano peaked their curiosity. Peeking inside, they saw lava bubbling kilometers below. Another tremor occurred, and the lava rose by a few meters.

"Ooooh, this thing is about to blow soon. We should get down." Commented Carys, shuddering.

"Right. Where to next?" Asked Ezra.

"Uh…Wither Swamp. Wow! We've travelled so far already!" Marveled Carys. Indeed, they were now 3/4ths of the way to Destiny Ridge. After Wither Swamp, there were only a few miles until their destination. The Swamp was about half a day's journey away, it looked like.

"Okay, let's get out of the blast range before we're cooked alive." Said Carys, starting to get down from their perch at the mouth of the volcano. Ezra started to do the same, then something caught her eye.

"Carys! Look!" She shouted, pointing down into the volcano. Perched precariously along a ledge was a Mysterious Shard!

"A Shard! But…how will we get to it?" Frowned Carys. Ezra looked at her expectantly.

"Ohhhh no, no way! I am _not_ going down in there!" Carys said indignantly, understanding what Ezra wanted her to do.

"Come on, you're the only one who can do it! You won't even be near the lava. Please?" Begged Ezra.

"No!" Shouted Carys, turning her back.

"Okay fine. I'll get it myself." Said Ezra resolutely, jumping down to a small ledge below.

"Wait!" Carys cried, flying down next to Ezra.

"You can't fly. I'll do it." She sighed unhappily.

"Yay! Thank you thank you thank you!" Beamed Ezra, hugging her.

"But this is the last time I'm going into a volcano for you." Warned Carys as she flew over to the Shard.

"That's fine!" Called Ezra, watching Carys.

She flew around the Shard for a minute, trying to decide how she was going to get it out of the volcano. She tried carrying it in her mouth, but it proved too big for her. She then tried holding on to it with her legs, which proved successful. She started rising up slowly, but the Shard slipped—and fell. Ezra gasped in horror, and then gasped in surprise as Carys dove down and grabbed it with her legs again, floating centimeters above the lava. She stared down at the bubbling liquid for a second, then hastily flew back to Ezra with the Shard in hand. Or, rather, in feet.

"Don't make me do that again." She shuddered, dropping the Shard.

"I won't. That was so brave." Ezra said, hugging her again.

"Ugh, let's just go. Which item do you want to toss out in order to make room for this thing?" Sighed Carys.

"Uh…will we need the Rawst Berry anymore?" Asked Ezra.

"Well, swamps aren't known for their fire, so I guess not anytime soon." Replied Carys.

"Okay, let's get rid of that." Nodded Ezra, tossing the berry into the volcano, where it made a sizzling _hiss_ as it was disintegrated.

Carys put the Shard in their bag, and another tremor rocked the mountain.

"Oh jeez, we'd better get outta here!" Exclaimed Ezra as they ran down away from the volcano. They could barely see the mountain's silhouette in the moonlight when it finally erupted, giving new light to the area as boiling hot lava oozed down the volcano.

Luckily, Ezra and Carys were well out of the blast zone by now. But while they were safe from the lava, they were not safe from the volcanic ash that was starting to fall.

"Ouch! We'd better find some shelter, and quick!" Ezra howled as some touched her. It was super-hot, and left giant scorch marks on her skin.

They found a small cave nearby, and they decided to set up camp there. Ezra made a fire, and they sat back, watching the ash fall.

"Good news is, if Evan's around, he won't be searching for us, not while this ash is here." Commented Ezra.

"Yeah. I think tomorrow we'll reach Destiny Ridge as well, so there's another added bonus." Nodded Carys.

"We should get some sleep. I think we'll be safe here, for now." Suggested Ezra.

"Good idea. Goodnight, Ezra." Said Carys as she lay down.

"Night."

**The next post will contain: Wither Swamp, an OC, and Destiny Ridge.**


	34. Chapter 34

The next day, they woke up early in order to get to Wither Swamp as early as possible. The trip would take about half a day, so it would presumably late afternoon when they arrived at the dungeon, and night when they finally came to Destiny Ridge. After eating an apple for breakfast, the duo set off. The ground was littered with ash, and the air smelled of smoke and sulfur, even hours after last night's volcano eruption.

"Whew! That's strong!" Grimaced Ezra as the stench assailed her.

"For real!" Agreed Carys, wincing.

They gladly left the cave and traveled downward through the mountain range. They passed many Pokemon, who were happy to lend the travelers a couple canteens of water. Eventually, they left the mountains and entered a thick, low-leveled forest around mid-afternoon. The vegetation grew greener and lusher, not to mention very close to the ground, which was getting soggier and soggier. They started to pass bogs and marshes, which lifted their spirits, as this meant they were close to Wither Swamp. But things started to take a turn for the worse. The air, which had previously smelled of life, grew danker and more putrid. The water in the marshes turned a brackish brown, and thick black piles of goo littered the ground. The vegetation turned sour with poison, and the trees were marked with disease. Purple gas was also starting to rise in some places, smelling faintly of mold.

"Ugh! What is this place?" Exclaimed Ezra, trying not to breathe in the stale air.

"According to the map, this marks the beginning of Wither Swamp. Look, I think I can see the entrance over there!" Nodded Carys over to a large, thick cluster of dying trees. In the middle of the copse was a small entryway, big enough for an Arbok to slither through.

"I think you're right. Ugh, hopefully it'll be much nicer inside!" Winced Ezra as they walked past more of the purple fog and into the dungeon.

**Wither Swamp ( watch?v=ABPVZ2giCO8)**

**B1F**

It was not. The air smelled no better, and felt thicker than it had been outside. The floor was made of purple stone—completely out of place in a swamp—and the walls were a light blue color. Teal pebbles also littered the ground, digging into Ezra's feet as she walked. The floor also had a thin film of…something…layering it.

"What is stone doing here in a swamp?" Asked Carys, peering at the floor.

"I have no idea. What I would LOVE to know, however, is what this stuff on the floor is." Grimaced Ezra as she wiped a hand across the ground in order to pick up some of the film. It was an opaque lavender color and slow to move, kind of like molasses.

"Ewww! Disgusting is what it is!" Gagged Carys, scrunching up her face in revulsion.

Ezra wiped the stuff off on a wall and continued moving, trying not to think about what it was. Presently, they discovered how the slime came to be all over the place.

A smallish, purple Pokemon came to greet them in the halls. Its body was made up of nothing but sludge, and it trailed the purple stuff wherever it went. The stench it carried with it was enough to make Ezra's eye water.

"A Grimer. Why am I not surprised?" Sighed Carys.

"It's a poison-type, right? Wanna let me take it?" Asked Ezra as the Grimer came closer.

"Sure. I'll finish it with a Shadow Sneak from behind you." Shrugged Carys.

"Alrighty. Hex!" Shouted Ezra, trying to take it out before it could bring its horrendous stench closer to her. It tanked the attack and approached, overpowering her with its smell alone, which threatened to suffocate her. She had had enough.

"Forget it! I can't take it anymore!" She exclaimed, knocking Carys aside and fleeing until she could breathe again. She took several deep breaths, then coughed, as the air was only slightly better than the stench she had just ran from. A few moments later, Carys joined her.

"It's defeated. You okay?" She asked, looking a bit haggard as well.

"Y-yeah, I think so…" Ezra said.

"Grimer's Stench Ability sure is nasty, ain't it?" Carys sighed.

"That's what that was? Ugh." Ezra shuddered.

"Yeah. Come on; let's get out of here before you lose the ability to smell."

**B2F**

Ezra was walking over to pick up some discarded Poke when she felt the floor go underneath her.

"Aw no…" She sighed as she activated a Poison Trap. As with the last time she had experienced this particular trap, she immediately began to feel the poison slowly coursing through her body.

"Ezra! Stay there; I'll wall-travel to find the Stairs. You don't move a muscle." Ordered Carys as she raced off into the walls.

"But…" Ezra's protest died as Carys left her earshot. She sighed and sat down against a wall, trying not to speed up the effects of the poison. The poison did seem to be moving slowly, though. She barely felt nauseous. She was only starting to feel truly sick when the telltale tugging pulled at her…

**B3F**

"Here be Stairs!" Laughed Carys as Ezra recovered from the negative effects.

**B4F**

**Weather Condition: Fog**

They spawned only to find that they could barely see due to fog. Luckily it was the natural, gray kind instead of the purple and possibly-poisonous fog that was back at the swamp.

"We haven't encountered fog in a while. It just cuts electric-type moves, right?" Asked Ezra, squinting, trying to find an exit.

"Yup." Confirmed Carys, also trying to find a corridor. "Ow! That was a wall. Oh, but here's a corridor!"

Ezra followed the sound of her voice, and presently found Carys and the aforementioned exit.

"Oi, I can barely see three feet in front of me." Said Ezra a minute later as they were wandering through the corridors.

"The only reason I haven't gotten lost is because I'm following your flame. That's the _only_ way I can tell where you are." Agreed Carys.

"Oh really? What if I do…this?!" Chuckled Ezra, willing her flame to die completely.

"HEY!" Shouted a startled Carys.

Ezra laughed as she willed her flame to rise again.

"That wasn't funny!" Protested Carys, who was starting to giggle as well.

They wandered and wandered throughout the floor, occasionally bumping into an enemy Pokemon. After some time, they finally found the Stairs. Unbeknownst to them, however, the Stairs were located in the same room they had spawned in. The fog had made it impossible to tell.

**B5F**

"Where do you think Evan is?" Carys wondered aloud out of nowhere as they were walking.

"I dunno. Hopefully far away from here. Why? Should we wall-travel in order to get out of here faster in case he's nearby?" Asked Ezra.

"Maybe. I hope he's not ahead of us. He knows where we're going, after all, and I don't think being Warp Orbed away from us is going to deter him." Carys said worriedly.

Ezra thought hard.

"Well, the villages we passed have mentioned no one searching for us. I mean, Evan has to stop for supplies too, after all. Doubtless he would have asked them if they'd seen two Pokemon like us. And the villagers didn't mention anyone looking for us, so I think he's behind us. Hopefully back around Rumbling Volcano." Ezra added.

"That makes sense." Carys nodded, reassured. "Still, I get the feeling we need to hurry."

"Well, let's wall-travel for a few floors." Suggested Ezra.

"That sounds good. I take northeast, you take southwest?" Offered Carys, nodding in the respective directions.

"Sounds good. See you soon." Agreed Ezra, heading into the wall and walking in the direction she was supposed to search in. The first chamber she peeked in had a Luminous Orb in it. She picked it up, feeling that they would need it soon. The second chamber held nothing of interest, only a sleeping Weezing, but the third room held the precious Stairs.

**B6F**

**Weather Condition: Cloudy**

"Whoa! It's cloudy." Marveled Ezra, looking up at the sky.

"Uhh…Cloudy weather weakens all moves except normal-types." Recalled Carys.

"Really? Aww…" Frowned Ezra.

"Hey, it affects the enemies, too." Reminded Carys.

"I guess." Sulked Ezra as they got moving.

Presently, they encountered an Arbok, and behind it was a Muk. The stench was awful, but Ezra was determined not to run again.

"Night Shade!" She shouted, attacking the trapped Arbok. It hissed menacingly and coiled itself around her tightly, squeezing the life out of her.

"Wrap! Don't worry, Ez, I'll save you!" Said Carys as Ezra tried desperately to breathe. Her lungs were being crushed, tighter and tighter. She was starting to see spots at the edges of her vision…when without warning the coils trapping her loosened. She fell to the ground, dazed and gasping for breath. Above her, she could hear sounds of fighting. When she finally had her wits about her again, she looked up to find Carys battling the Muk and the Arbok nowhere to be seen. The Muk tossed an Iron Thorn at Carys, who snarled with pain but did not falter in her attacks.

"Astonish!" She growled, pummeling into the Muk. It roared and tried to hit her with a Sludge Bomb, but the tricky Pumpkaboo dove into the walls to dodge.

"Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra, taking the Muk by surprise. It had thought she was knocked out, and was focusing solely on Carys, who finished it off with a Shadow Sneak.

"Nice job, Ezzie!" Beamed Carys.

"Thanks. What happened to the Arbok?" Ezra asked, wincing as she moved her bruised body. They ignored the Iron Thorns the Muk dropped, as they were saving their last available space for something more useful.

"While it held you in Wrap, I attacked it with a Shadow Sneak. Then the Muk tried to hit me with an Iron Thorn—but it was too stupid to realize that the Arbok was in front of it. So, it hit the Arbok instead, and that was enough to make it faint." Giggled Carys.

"Wait, the Muk…._hit_ the Arbok?" Asked Ezra, who wasn't sure if she was hearing things right.

"Yup!" Laughed Carys.

A slow grin came over Ezra, and she and Carys laughed and laughed over the absurdity of the situation.

**B7F**

"Stairs! How I've missed you." Grinned Carys, nuzzling the side of the staircase.

**B8F**

**Weather Condition: Fog**

"Not even bad weather can get between you and I!" She exclaimed to the Stairs upon seeing that they spawned with them again.

**B9F**

"So, there's only a few miles left after here?" Asked Ezra nonchalantly.

"That's right. We're almost there, Ez." Carys smiled.

Ezra was glad too. Their long journey across the continent was finally coming to an end soon. They would seek out Victini for shelter until it was safe to go home, and then…Ezra wasn't quite sure.

_I guess it's back to doing more jobs. That reminds me, I haven't made any progress on my quest to discover who I really am, and why I came here. Hey, Voice, you there? _She thought. She thought she sensed a faint, distressed presence, but it came and went so quickly she couldn't be sure.

_Hm, I guess it's busy. Huh, I wonder when it'll be safe to go home. I mean, it could be anywhere from a few days to a few months…maybe never._ The thought was a chilling one, and she immediately voiced it to Carys.

"I don't think it'll be too long before we can go back home. With all of our exploration team friends there, plus the Hooded Brotherhood, we can fight off any Dark soldiers that come our way." She said reassuringly.

"I guess." Ezra said doubtfully.

"It'll be fine, Ez. I have no doubt."

**B10F**

"Confuse Ray!" Shouted Carys, confusing the enemy Trubbish. They had finally found the Stairs, but a Trubbish, Weezing, and Swalot was blocking their way. Ezra was busy taking care of the Swalot while Carys dealt with the remaining two.

"Hex!" Shouted Ezra, trading blows with her foe. It merely tanked the attack and used Swallow, regaining its health. It had been doing nothing but Stockpiling, making Ezra's job much more miserable.

"Augh!" She heard Carys cry. She turned to see a purple mist surround her friend. The mist dissipated, and Carys was left looking ill.

"Poison Gas?" Guessed Ezra.

"Poison Gas." Confirmed a miserable Carys.

"Well, would you like to run for it while I hold them off?"

"That would be lovely."

"Alrighty. Go! Night Shade!" Shouted Ezra, the latter part to the Weezing, who had started to follow Carys. It dodged the attack and used Explosion, damaging its allies badly but leaving Ezra with only bruises.

"That doesn't hurt, you know." She chastised it. She was about to deal a finishing Flame Burst when she saw Carys descend. She stopped the attack and smiled, teleporting to the next floor.

**B11F**

**Weather Condition: Fog**

It was foggy again, much to Team Banshee's disdain.

"I think it's time we used the Luminous Orb." Suggested Ezra.

"We have a Luminous Orb? …Huh, so we do. Did my Pickup Ability strike again?" Wondered Carys.

"No, when we were wall-travelling I found it." Ezra shook her head.

"Oh, I see. Well, here, you do the honors." Said Carys, holding the Orb out to her. Ezra broke it and let the mental map form in her head.

"Ooh, it's pretty far away. It's a good thing we used it, since I'm not sure if we'd find the Stairs on our own." She remarked as she led the way.

**B12F**

"Meh, I'm tired of this smelly, nasty place. Wanna just wall-travel?" Suggested Carys to Ezra as they spawned.

"Sure." Shrugged Ezra. She took the northeastern part of the floor while Carys took the southwestern part. She peeked at a lot of chambers, but none of them held the Stairs. She did, however find a Pink Gummi, which tasted like spoiled milk. That was disgusting. She spat out the rest of the Gummi in distaste, and continued wall-travelling. She was just about to peek inside another chamber when she felt the tugging sensation that meant Carys had found the Stairs.

**B13F**

"I couldn't bear it if we went without Stairs!" Ezra joked, noticing that the Stairs had spawned with them.

"Hey! That's my job!" Complained Carys, half-serious.

**Wither Bog**

The exited the dungeon to find the poison swamp starting to mix back into regular marsh. The air had a whiff of freshness to it, which was a blessing on Ezra's poor abused nostrils. She ran forward into the normal swamp and took a deep breath of sweet, fresh air.

"Finally…." She gasped, turning back to fall in the long grass. She stared up at the sky. The sun was starting to set, turning the sky various hues of orange and pink.

"We're almost there. Do you want to stop for dinner now, or later?" Asked Carys, holding out two their last two apples.

"No, I'm fine. I can keep going until we get to Victini. Come on; let's get to Destiny Ridge as quickly as we can!" Said Ezra, doing a little jig. She was so happy to know that there were only a few hours until their trek across the continent was over.

"Let's go!" She laughed, running ahead. She only ran a few meters before she tripped over something and fell violently into a pool of water. Visions of poison and sickness filled her mind, just before they were replaced by terror.

"Waugh!" She sputtered, flailing, trying to get out of the water. Her flame, as it met with the water, hissed angrily, and little twinges of pain shot through Ezra.

As she was struggling, she felt teeth grab into the back of her neck and pull her up. She turned to find that Carys was her rescuer.

"Ugh, wax." She grimaced.

"*cough* Thanks." Coughed Ezra.

"No problem. What happened?" Asked Carys.

"Dunno. I tripped over something." Said Ezra, searching the ground for the thing that had caused her to fall in the water. She touched something hard and smooth, and visions of dying crops filled her head.

"No way…." She marveled as she held up a Mysterious Shard.

"Wait. What?" Demanded Carys, utterly confused.

"What's a Shard doing way out here?" Asked Ezra, eyebrow raised.

"Totally strange, but….okay. Whatever. You wanna use our last item spot for it?" Shrugged Carys.

"I….sure?" Responded Ezra, who still couldn't believe that a Shard was here of all places. They placed the Shard in the bag, and set off for Destiny Ridge.

The swamp presently grew into forest, which presently grew into highland, which was where they found the giant mountain that was their destination. Although night was just falling, Destiny Ridge was still visible against the sky.

Towering imposingly above the clouds, it looked just like a place a legendary would live at.

"Whoa…" They said in unison.

They climbed up multiple hills and mountains until they reached the base of the Ridge, where a dark entrance lay amidst the trees that dotted the entire mountainside.

"Well…we're here. We're really here! We just need to get up this mountain, and….well, we'll make it, at least." Marveled Ezra.

"Look at this view!" Squealed Carys.

Ezra turned, and gasped as she saw that even at the base of the mountain it still towered over all the other hills and mountains. Dark greenery greeted them at every turn, tinged white by the rising moon.

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" Said an unknown voice. They turned to find a Gallade and two Kirlias behind them. The Gallade had a prominent limp and carried a cane, while one of the Kirlias had bows on her head and knives strapped to her back. She also had yellow eyes. The other Kirlia didn't have the 'dress' that was a part of his species, and he also carried a blade as tall as him. His eyes were sky blue.

"Who are you?" Demanded Ezra. If they had to fight enemies before they could find Victini…

"Don't worry, we're friends. We guard Victini's dungeon. She likes to challenge Pokemon who visit her, but only if they're strong enough to beat us first. My name is Vaati." Explained the Gallade.

"I'm Kunoichi, and this is my brother, Ramaru! And you must be Ezra and Carys!" Laughed the female Kirlia.

"How'd you know that?" Asked Carys suspiciously.

"Victini has gotten word of your arrival, and she told us to let you on through. Normally you'd have to battle us in order to enter Destiny Ridge, but My Lady has made an exception for you two." Said Ramaru.

"Oh…uh…okay." Said Ezra. At least they wouldn't have to fight these three odd Pokemon.

"Someone else approaches." Warned Vaati, looking down.

Ezra turned to see what they were looking at. She watched as a dark figure, kilometers below them, raced swiftly across the hills, heading straight toward them.

"Is that…?" Trailed Carys, who had seen the figure too. Ezra felt a stab of fear shoot through her.

"I think it is." She said miserably. There! The figure dashed across a moonbeam, where a telltale red and black body was briefly made clearer.

"Oh….my…" Ezra felt lightheaded with fear. Evan had found them again, and he was gaining on them fast.

"NO! How could he have found us so quickly?!" Demanded Carys.

"Shhh! He'll hear you!" Hissed Ezra. But it was too late. The figure below, hearing Carys' outburst, briefly looked up, then raced forward even more swiftly.

"I take it this is your pursuer? You two had better get going. We'll do our best to stop him." Said Ramaru as he and his sister pulled out their knives and readied themselves for a fight. Vaati merely held his cane us, as if it would do something.

"Go!" Kunoichi shouted.

They did.

**Destiny Ridge ( watch?v=VVAXR_4Y8ic)**

**1F**

The terrain in here was quite rocky. The floors were made of a light yellow stone, and the walls a tannish rock. The atmosphere seemed to exude power.

"So…this is it. We're here, in Victini's dungeon at last." Ezra said solemnly, taking a moment to assess their surroundings despite the danger behind them.

"Yeah…" Carys said stoically.

"It's almost over." Whispered Ezra, unsure how to feel.

"It's almost over." Echoed Carys.

"…Well, I guess we should get going, before Evan beats us to the top. I hope Vaati, Kunoichi, and Ramaru can stop him." Sighed Ezra.

"Yeah…" Nodded Carys, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

**2F**

They didn't do much talking on this floor, as each woman was lost in her own thoughts. The Stairs were located only a few chambers away from spawn, and they miraculously didn't run into any enemy Pokemon.

**3F**

"Why?" Asked Carys out of the blue as they were walking.

"Why what?" Responded Ezra.

"Why did he follow us here?! Why WHY _WHY_?! I'm so afraid he's going to catch us and kill us before we can find Victini! All that hard work—for nothing! All because that stupid Zoroark is infatuated with a psychopath!" Sobbed Carys, tearing coming to her eyes.

"He can't get us while we're in the dungeon. We're safe here." Reassured Ezra, coming to hug her weeping friend.

"There's the Waypoint. And he could get to us before Victini does at the top." Countered Carys, still sobbing.

"If we meet him at the Waypoint, we'll throw a Blast Seed at him or something so we can escape back into the dungeon. And you heard those three back there. Victini knows we're coming. She won't let anything happen to us. Have hope, Carys. We're so close, and surrounded by allies on both ends of the mountain. There's no way he'll catch us. And even if he manages to fight his way up to the top, well, we'll have a legendary on our side to fight him. And this time, I mean to defeat him, and send him straight to the Hooded Brotherhood!" Encouraged Ezra. Carys continued sobbing, but eventually her sobbing dwindled into sniffling.

"You….you really think all that?" She simpered, looking up at Ezra.

"I _know _so." Ezra smiled gently at her.

Carys fell silent, still sniffling.

"…Thank you. I…need a moment more. You go on ahead. I'll be fine." She said after a moment.

"Are you quite sure?" Asked Ezra, who knew the answer already. Carys would want a few minutes to recompose herself again.

"Yeah…"

"Okay. I won't be too long." Ezra gave Carys a quick hug, then set off by herself. She found the Stairs almost immediately, but waited five minutes in order to give Carys some time.

**4F**

"Stairs…" Carys mumbled, still sniffling.

**5F**

They met a Charizard while travelling through a corridor. Its eyes glinted with intelligence, and it began the fight by using Dragon Claw directly onto Ezra's head.

"Owwwww!" She wailed, using Hex in response.

The Charizard, having little room to maneuver in and no room to spread its wings, had no choice but to take the attack. A Shadow Sneak from Carys made it howl with rage. It vented its anger by using Dragon Rage, but Ezra ducked and was only grazed by the attack. She saw a Silver Spike being thrown above her head and onto the Charizard. Clearly, Carys was determined to pummel this foe.

"Night Shade!" Yelled Ezra, just before she was hit with another Dragon Claw. This one hurt really bad, and it was enough to make her start to think about eating an Oran Berry.

"Shadow-Shade after its next attack." Said Carys from behind. Ezra nodded, preparing to tank the next attack, which came in the form of a Dragon Rage. She almost blacked out, but held on to the last bit of strength she had. In desperate need of an Oran Berry, she somehow managed to pull off the combo attack. _Then_ she blacked out. She revived just in time to see the Charizard fainting.

"Whew! That was tough!" She exclaimed.

"You okay?" Asked Carys.

"Yeah! Did you notice how it didn't use any fire-type attacks? It knew that I had Flash Fire! Carys, these dungeon Pokemon in here actually have brains! How will we ever get to the top?" Ezra said incredulously.

"With lots of strength, I guess. Wow, but that Charizard was not pleasant to fight! We have only one Reviver Seed left, though." Frowned Carys.

"We can make it. I won't let myself be surprised by the cunning of the Pokemon here again." Resolved Ezra.

**6F**

"Here they are." Said Ezra as they—you guessed it—spawned with the Stairs again.

**7F**

They spawned next to the wall, just as sixteen Pokemon fell from the sky. **(*Everybody's favorite mechanic's music…*)** There were: two Charizards, three Dragonites, a Rhyperior, four Aggron, a Blissey, two Togekisses, and three Gengars. Ezra and Carys took one look and said, "nope" simultaneously, heading into the walls to escape the danger. Alas, the three Gengars followed them inside.

"Um, excuse me, no one invited you here. Hex!" Pouted Ezra, critically striking the first Gengar and one-shotting it.

"Confuse Ray!" Sang Carys onto the second, rendering it temporarily harmless. The third one tried to hit Carys with a Shadow Ball, but she nimbly dodged and countered with Shadow Sneak. A Night Shade from Ezra and there was only one Gengar left.

"Flame Burst!" "Astonish!" "Hex!" Suffice to say, the confused foe stood no chance.

**8F**

"I ever tell you that I found a Pink Gummi back in Wither Swamp when we were wall-travelling?" Asked Ezra.

"No. Tell me!" Encouraged Carys.

"I kid you not, it tasted exactly like spoiled milk." Ezra said matter-of-factly.

"No way! Eww!" Laughed Carys.

"I'm serious! I had to spit the rest of it out, it was so disgusting!" Exclaimed Ezra.

"Oh, that's awesome. Thanks for telling me. Now I know not to eat Pink Gummis!" Grinned Carys.

"I guess it makes sense, spoiled milk for poison types. Bad milk can indeed make you sick." Thought Ezra aloud.

"Oh, _now_ Gummi tastes make sense to you." Chuckled Carys

—**Waypoint—**

"We're halfway there…" Breathed Ezra. The final stretch was in front of them. They had made it so very far in only a few days. It was incredible. They managed to avoid being captured and killed so far, and with Victini presumably on their side, their nightmare was about to be over. Ezra hoped.

"Yeah…Come on; let's not get cold feet now, not when we're so close." Said Carys, breaking Ezra out of her thoughts.

Bracing themselves for the end to their long, arduous journey, the two trekked onwards, ready for whatever fate had in mind for them.

**Thanks to Vaati Star for Vaati, Kunoichi, and Ramaru!**

**I honestly don't know exactly when the Chapter 7 finale will be up. My week is looking very busy, and I fear I won't have much time to sit down and write. I'll try to have it up by Wednesday or Thursday, but in all honesty you guys might have to wait until Saturday. :/ Terribly sorry, but school comes before fanfiction.**

**Anyways, so Victini knew they were coming? Hmm, whatever could she be up to…?**

**Don't forget the Chapter finale will reveal the identity of the Champion of Darkness! Oh boy!**

**The next chapter will contain: watch?v=ztJirkY5AMw With this song, I give you the identity of the Dark's Chosen, but it'll take a sharp eye to figure it out! (Don't spoil)**


	35. Chapter 35

**High Destiny Ridge ( watch?v=2zBbIH93sB8)**

**1F**

They found themselves in a more sullen environment. The floor was now a deep, grayish-brown wood, and the walls a darker shade of the same color, only made out stone. There was also something tacked on the wall nearby.

"What does that say?" Asked Ezra as they wandered over to have a look. In a large, elegant script lay a notice.

"_If you ever wish to reach the top, you will cease travelling through the walls. Only the powerful and mighty may have an audience with me." _It read.

"Wait, so we can't wall-travel? Even when there are a bunch of uber-strong enemies that we don't want to fight?" Carys asked. To their utter astonishment, the writing on the wall changed right before their eyes.

"_Yes."_ It now read.

"I guess Victini wants us to prove our strength. Ugh, but this take _forever_, having to fight everyone we meet!" Ezra grumbled.

"She didn't say anything about using the walls to dodge attacks. We can still do that, right?" Asked Carys, looking at the notice.

"_You may."_ It changed once more.

"Sweet!" Grinned Carys.

"At least _you're _happy about having to fight Charizards and Blisseys and whatever else is in here with us." Muttered Ezra.

**2F**

Instead of spawning with Stairs, they spawned in with a Rhyperior and a Blissey.

"You take Rhyperior, I'll keep the Blissey busy." Ezra sighed to Carys, not wanting to fight. She just wanted to get to Victini already.

"On it!" Said Carys as she opened with a Razor Leaf. Ezra watched for a moment—until she was hit with an Egg Bomb. It didn't hurt too badly, but it was enough to make Ezra annoyed.

"Ow! That hurt!" She stormed, attacking with a Flame Burst, which the Blissey easily tanked. It cracked a grin at her, not hurt at all.

"Oh, a wise guy are we?" Ezra raised an eyebrow as she followed up with an Ember, trying to give her foe a burn. The Blissey wasn't even trying to dodge; it had too much energy to even care. Grinning, it hurled itself at her—Double Edge. Ezra tanked it as well. It was a normal-type move; she didn't care about normal-type moves.

"It seems we're at a stalemate. I can't hurt you, and you can't hurt me. What do you say we call it a draw?" She asked it. The Blissey chuckled in response and suddenly broke into song. Ezra recognized the move instantly.

"Sing…" She groaned as she was put to sleep. She felt pain while she was in dreamland, but unfortunately she could not wake up to see what was happening.

Eventually, she woke, just in time to see the Blissey use Healing Wish on the Rhyperior, who was one more Razor Leaf away from fainting. The latter was revitalized while the Blissey was drained of almost all its energy. It hadn't noticed that Ezra woke up. Taking advantage of the situation, she used an Ember attack, felling the foe.

"Whee…" She said sleepily, smiling. She woke up fully, and joined Carys in fighting her foe.

**3F**

**Weather Condition: Rain**

"Awww, it's raining." Ezra pouted as a light drizzle fell. The rain made her flame hiss and crackle with distaste.

"You'll be fine. Come on; let's find the Stairs before enemies show up." Dismissed Carys as they began walking. "Have you noticed the foes in here are _way_ stronger than normal?"

"Yeah, I have. Well, the three back down at the entrance said that Vicitni likes to challenge people. I guess she wants to fight only the best. Hmm, I wonder why we were exempt from fighting Vaati, Kunoichi and Ramaru." Ezra wondered.

"And how did she know we were coming?" Agreed Carys.

Neither of the two had an answer.

Eventually, they came into a large chamber, with only one exit, which was near the southeastern corner.

Nonchalantly, keeping an eye out for enemies, they walked towards the exit. Without warning, the floor underneath Ezra gave way onto a trap.

"Aw no…." She sighed as she saw the Electrode painted into it. Cringing, waiting for the explosion, they braced themselves. There was a small _poof!_ but, oddly, nothing happened.

"Huh?" Said Ezra, looking down. There were signs that the trap had indeed gone off, but for some reason it hadn't exploded.

"Ohhh! It's the rain!" Exclaimed Carys.

"How so?" Asked Ezra.

Carys knelt down and nodded at the trap, which had holes everywhere.

"The rain must've gone down into these holes and made whatever mechanism is used to make the explosion happen not work! Water can be _such_ a killjoy." She explained.

Ezra didn't quite understand Carys' logic, but she wasn't too upset at an Explosion Trap not working properly.

"Whatever you say." She shrugged.

**4F**

"Oh thank Arceus there are Stairs with us!" Ezra sighed in relief when they noticed they had spawned with the Stairs.

**5F**

"I hate this dungeon." Grumbled Ezra after they had defeated a Togekiss in a corridor.

"I'm still feeling the effects of that Aura Sphere." Winced Carys in agreement.

They turned a corner, only to bump into an Aggron.

"Nooo…" Groaned Ezra, using Flame Burst, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. It countered with Protect, then used Iron Tail, knocking her into Carys.

"Oof!" She grunted, picking herself up. She used Flame Burst again, and this time it was successful. The Aggron roared in pain and Body Slammed her, dashing her to the ground and knocking the wind out of her lungs.

"Bad Aggron! Confuse Ray!" Stormed Carys as Ezra heaved in big gulps of air. The Aggron, now confused, tried to use Rock Slide, but it was facing the wrong direction, rendering the move useless.

"Thanks for that." Wheezed Ezra as she used Hex. A Flame-Leaf later and they were freed of their foe.

**6F**

After fighting three Blisseys in a row, the duo finally came to the chamber with the Stairs. Unfortunately, though, it was being guarded by a Dragonite and Gengar.

"I am _sick_ of this!" Shouted Ezra in frustration. She was tired, and definitely not in the mood to fight. She was half-tempted to ignore Victini's rules and just wall-travel past the foes and to the Stairs, but deep down she knew that would have major consequences.

"I hear you. Oh well, let's just get this over with." Carys sighed in agreement.

"I really don't feel like tangling with that Dragonite. Why don't you confuse it, and we'll take down Gengar together? That way, we can ignore Dragonite and ascend the Stairs?" Suggested Ezra.

"Good plan." Nodded Carys as the two enemies drew closer.

The Dragonite dodged the first Confuse Ray, but fell victim to the fiery blast from a Blast Seed, courtesy of an annoyed Ezra. While it was recovering from the blow, Carys finally hit it with a Confuse Ray. With that foe taken care of, they set their sights on the Gengar. They first opened with a Hex-Sneak combo, which was easily dodged. Then they tried a Double Team Special, but the Gengar was crafty, and paid close attention to both Ezra and Carys, so that plan was out. The Gengar attacked with a Shadow Ball, making Ezra see stars for a moment. Carys managed to land a Shadow Sneak, and a Night Shade from Ezra weakened the Gengar. It followed up with a Mean Look, rendering Carys immobile. Ezra hit the Gengar with a Hex, and luckily this was enough to defeat it. Carys regained mobility just as the Dragonite snapped out of its confusion. The two took one look at the formidable dragon-type and ran straight for the Stairs.

**7F**

"Good, more Stairs." Said Carys mildly.

**Destiny Peak**

They had done it. They had finally done it. After days of running, exhaustion, and fear, they had finally made it to Victini's lair. What Victini actually looked like, they had no clue.

They arrived at the top of the mountain, where the clouds were miles below and the sound of the ocean just on the verge of being audible. The peak was grassy, and the air cool as the night wore on. By the position of the moon, it must have been well past midnight. A few boulders dotted the landscape. A tiny, cream and orange Pokemon stood before them. Its body was mainly cream, with two wing-like tails and orange, V-shaped ears. It also had big blue eyes, that watched disinterestedly as Carys and Ezra approached.

"So," the tiny Pokemon said, crossing her arms. "you are Ezra and Carys. I have heard much of you these past few days."

"You must be Victini." Said Ezra cautiously, holding her breath. Adrenaline was shooting through her. They had made it here; now what was to happen?

The tiny Pokemon inclined her head slightly in confirmation.

"Yes, you are correct. I am Victini, the legendary of victory. I watched you battle your way through my dungeon. While I was displeased by your willingness to avoid battling, I can grudgingly agree that due to your circumstances, time—not strength—was of the utmost importance. So, I forgive you. Normally Pokemon who come here would have to first fight my sentries, then ascend through the Ridge before they can have an audience with me." She explained, sounding a tad annoyed.

"Other Pokemon have come here?" Wondered Carys.

"Yes. Being the victory Pokemon, naturally I am obsessed with fighting. So, I allow Pokemon the chance to defeat me—but only if they have first defeated my sentries and have surpassed the dungeon below. That way, I am assured of a worthy fight, as only the truly strong can ever hope to face me in battle. Alas, only one has ever beaten me. But I enjoy the battles all the same. But that is enough about me. I know why you two have come here. You have angered the Darkness, and it seeks vengeance. My friend Hoopa told you to seek me out, as I am well versed in strategy and military operations. A Zoroark is following you, in the hopes that he can bring you to his masters. I sense him in my dungeon. He will arrive here soon." Victini went on, her voice devoid of emotion.

"But do not worry about him. I will take care of him once and for all." She added.

"O-oh….Um, Victini? How did you know all that?" Ezra asked timidly.

"I have my ways." Victini gave an enigmatic smile.

They waited for her to explain, but the teeny Pokemon was silent.

"So…you're friends with Hoopa?" Asked Ezra, breaking the awkward silence.

"Indeed. I'm sure it comes across as strange to you two. How could a solemn warrior like me ever be friends with a hedonistic prankster? Well, do you recall when I said earlier that only one Pokemon has ever defeated me? That Pokemon was Hoopa, but he was not in his Bound Form." Victini said.

"No way!" Exclaimed Ezra as Carys asked, "What do you mean, "Bound Form"?"

"Hoopa has two forms. His Bound form is the one that you are most familiar with. In order to access his Unbound Form, Hoopa needs a special relic called the Prison Bottle. When he uncorks it, he transforms into a mighty beast, taller than a Rhyperior. Unbound Form significantly increases Hoopa's power, but it also makes him furious. It was in his Unbound Form that proved to be my downfall. Soon after that, he lost his Prison Bottle. But, unbeknownst to him, I found it the day you two first fled to my realm. I'm waiting to give it back to him." Revealed Victini, going over to a nearby bush and pulling out a small, glass bottle. It was only a few inches tall, and appeared to be completely empty. The purple cork was ornately decorated with a gold ring, similar to the one Hoopa used to warp.

"There's…nothing in it." Said Ezra, confused.

"Perhaps not to you or me, but to Hoopa it contains unfathomable amounts of power." Explained Victini, who suddenly looked towards the entrance, ears twitching.

"It is time." She said enigmatically, and loudly for some reason. She walked back over near the entrance to the dungeon. Ezra and Carys, unsure of what else to do, followed her. Victini stood motionlessly, facing the entrance.

"What are—" Ezra's question was cut off by someone entering Victini's lair.

It was Evan.

He scanned the area, stopping once he saw the three standing nearby. Team Banshee braced itself for the final battle.

"There you are!" He said triumphantly, a wicked grin on his face.

"You are not welcome here. Leave." Victini said tonelessly. Evan turned his gaze on her, then laughed.

"_You're _Victini? This tiny thing is a legendary! Hahahaha! Oh, that is rich. Step aside, little girl. You may get hurt." Evan said as he started heading towards Ezra and Carys, claws glinting in the moonlight.

Victini's ears suddenly caught on fire, and she launched herself at Evan, her entire body glowing red. She barreled into Evan, sending him flying until he landed painfully against a boulder with a _crack_, almost shattering it. He lay there, dazed, for many seconds.

"I said: leave." Victini glared menacingly, standing near the mercenary.

"Your V-Create is something special, I'll admit." Evan said slowly, getting up. "But I'm not here for you. I'm here to bring these two runts back to my dear Formora."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." An unknown voice said from seemingly nowhere. The boulder Evan was standing in front of shook, then broke to reveal a blue figure hiding inside. The figure Force Palmed Evan back into the center of the area, where the ground exploded to reveal more Pokemon. Yet another Pokemon rose from the clouds below to join the other three Pokemon in pummeling Evan into submission.

Once the dust had cleared, Ezra gasped to see the Hooded Brotherhood tying Evan's hands behind his back. Sips, cave, and Sky were guarding the would-be assassin closely while Blue Hood stepped up to greet the awestruck Ezra and Carys.

"We meet again, Ezra and Carys." He nodded.

"How did…Why…When…" Ezra couldn't speak.

"Allow me to explain." Victini said. "The day after you two had first fled to me, I got a message from Hoopa. He warned me that you two were coming, and explained all that he knew of your situation. After debating back and forth, we decided to set up a trap here at Destiny Ridge. The Hooded Brotherhood would lie in wait until the Zororark arrived here, where they would arrest him. We had flying-type Pokemon watch you two from afar so we'd know when you would be arriving."

"We didn't want Evan to be tipped off, so that's why we kept you two in the dark, how Victini knew you two were coming, and why you didn't have to fight the sentries down below. Sorry about that." Cave called.

"….Oh…." Was all Ezra could say. So this was all a sting operation in order to catch Evan.

"That's…impressive." Said Carys.

"Well, we'll be taking this criminal to the prison, where he'll be locked away for a long time. You won't have to worry about him anymore, Ez and Carys." Assured Sips, smiling.

"That won't work, unfortunately." Sighed Ezra. "Formora will keep sending Pokemon after us. Carys told her where we live."

"Well, it's been almost a week since you left the north, and we haven't seen anything suspicious back at Lily Town." Said Sky.

"Still." Frowned Carys.

"Well, we'll still be there for some time yet. If we see anything, we'll give you an early warning. I'd say it's safe to go home." Shrugged Cave.

"It is." Said Victini, sounding far away. She was staring at something that wasn't there. She blinked after a moment, then shook her head.

"It's safe to go home. I assure you." She said.

"How do you know that?" Inquired Sips.

"Being the legendary of victory, that gives me some hold—not much—over fate. I have the slightest ability to alter fate. I also have very weak Sight in the form of certainty. Every so often I will become certain of various events, like the chance of rain, or who will win a battle. Right now, I just became certain that Ezra and Carys will not be harmed at Lily Town." She explained.

"Whoa." Everyone minus Blue Hood and Victini said.

"So our long journey has finally come to an end…."Carys mused.

"It took a while, but it's finally over." Ezra smiled.

"It's very late; tomorrow you two can head back home. In order to get to Lily Town from here, you'll need to go through Frostbite Taiga, then Mt. Zephyr. Destiny Ridge is about a day's journey away." Said Victini, showing them on their map.

"I think we can handle that." Grinned Carys.

"What's going on?" A familiar voice asked. Everyone turned to find a Froslass wearing a Froslass Bow and holding an Orb of some kind standing right at the entrance to Destiny Ridge.

"Formora." Said Ezra, surprised to see her here of all places. Ezra wasn't worried, however. She was vastly outnumbered.

"My love!" Yelled Evan, struggling desperately to go over and embrace her. But the HB held him tightly.

Formora took in the sight wordlessly. No doubt she could tell what had just happened.

"So, you're the famous Hooded Brotherhood. I've heard many stories about you. You've arrested many fine Pokemon." She said warily, staring at them.

"And you are Victini." She said, turning to face the tiny Pokemon. "You're a lot smaller than I imagined, but no doubt your power makes up for your size. And of course, there are the two Pokemon who've made my life so much harder." She finished, crossing her arms and glaring at Team Banshee.

"And me, my love. Don't forget your dearest sweetheart. Oh, Formora, how I've missed you." Evan sighed in bliss.

"Would you _stop_ with the mushy words already?!" Formora snapped at him unexpectedly, taking everyone by surprise.

"For weeks I've had to put up with you and your endless infatuation. Honestly, it was enough to drive me _insane!_ I thought it would be easier, pretending to—ugh—_love_ you instead of paying you. Oh, _how_ was I wrong! You would not stop pestering me with your adoration! All your 'my loves' and 'sweethearts'. Did you even hear what was coming out of your mouth? You're a _mercenary_, for Arceus' sake, not some hopeless romantic! And yet that was exactly what you had become. Did you honestly think that it was okay to fall in love with _me_? Or that it wasn't suspicious how I was actually returning the stupid gesture? I am the Dark's Chosen; love has no place in my cold, black heart. You were a complete fool for daring to like me. You are nothing but a tool. I am not sorry to see you sent to prison. In fact, I am overjoyed to know that I am finally rid of you once and for all." Formora said coldly to him, turning away in disgust.

Everyone was too stunned to do anything. Evan dropped to the ground, in complete shock.

"So…It was…all a lie?" He whispered.

"All of it. The only reason I pretended to love you was to save a couple million Poke. I have a heart of darkness; love is the antithesis to my nature." Formora scowled at him.

Evan said nothing for a few seconds, then burst into tears.

"You are so weak." Formora said scathingly. "Unable to face the truth. I am done here. I am done with you." She said as she turned to leave.

"You're…the Champion of Darkness?" Ezra dared to ask. Formora paused, and turned to face her.

"Yes." She said simply. "I was once a human, who was chosen by My Lord to lead the Darkness to victory. Now that I know how useless other Pokemon are, I will not be hiring anyone else to do my bidding. The next time we face each other, be it a day or ten years from now, it will be just you two, me, and my team." With that, Formora turned once more to leave.

"Halt!" Shouted Blue Hood.

"What now?" Formora snapped as she turned once more.

"If you are one of the Dark, then I cannot allow you to roam free. Cave! Sips!" He shouted as Sips and Cave dove at her.

Formora merely broke the Orb she was carrying, and she suddenly disappeared. Cave and Sips crashed awkwardly onto the ground.

"Warp Orb." Sips said as he spat out grass.

"We'll track her after we take this sobbing wreck to justice. Farewell!" Said Blue Hood as the HB departed with their captive.

The remaining Pokemon were silent for a moment, awestruck by what they had just heard.

"So. Formora is the Dark's Chosen." Carys said dauntingly. "Now that I think about it, it makes sense. She's a sadistic psychopath; she's perfect for the role."

Ezra was lost in thought. She remembered when she was worried that _she_ was the Dark Champion. But, now that Formora had been identified, what was Ezra? Was Ezra just a random human sucked into this world? Or did she have a bigger part to play? She called for Voice, but it didn't answer. A great lethargy washed over her.

"This day has had too much excitement. I need to go to bed." She said curtly.

"I will show you where you may sleep." Victini said.

Ezra nodded, and followed Victini to a small hut near the other side of the peak, where two makeshift beds made of leaves and grass lay. She lay down on one of them, but sleep did not come. She wondered what the future held, and what it had in store for her. What was her role in all this? She could not answer that question.

**The plot thickens. What **_**does**_** fate have in store for Ezra and Carys? Those answers will come, soon. Not immediately, but soon.**

**In case any of you were wondering what "What Lies Beneath" (The song I linked in the last post) has to do with Formora, if you'll look back at the fight at Frigid Tundra, you'll notice that the dialogue holds snippets of the lyrics here and there. Chapter 8 will begin within a few days.**

**The next chapter will contain: Farewells, a chilly taiga, and thoughts about the future.**


	36. Chapter 8 Ezra's Secret

**Hello all, I have returned. Apologies for the delay; I got a little **_**too**_** caught up in my break from writing. Don't get me wrong, I love writing this fic, and I **_**LOVE**_** reading your reviews, but writing takes up what little free time I have. Anyways, I am back to my frequent updates! I think that after I end each chapter I'll take a week off. That way, I can have some time to relax without leaving you guys wondering why I haven't been updating. Coincidentally, this next chapter will only be a couple posts long, but as a token of my regret for being away for so long, ****I won't take a week off after this chapter ends.**__**I'll just dive immediately into Chapter 9, which will be more lengthy. With that said, let's begin the eighth part in this adventure!**

** Chapter 8. Ezra's Secret**

The next day, Victini was helping Ezra and Carys prepare for the trip back. Lily Town was thankfully only a day and a half away from Destiny Ridge, so their long journey would finally come to an end. Ezra didn't really talk much during the preparation. She couldn't keep her mind off of the events the previous night, and how she fit into the scheme of things. She wasn't the Dark's Chosen, so she could lay that fear to rest. But why else would she be brought into this world? What purpose did she serve? Was she just an anomaly, brought here by mistake, or did someone—or something—have other intentions for her…?

"Next time you see Hoopa, will you tell him to visit me? I do sorely miss our conversations, and I need to give him his Prison Bottle back." Asked Victini, nodding to the bottle she held in her hands.

"Of course! Thanks for all you've done for us, Victini. We owe you greatly." Carys said warmly, slinging on their bag.

"You can repay me by returning here one day. I would be honored if I could test your battling skills." Said Victini, the ghost of a smile playing upon her lips.

Ezra said nothing throughout this exchange. She was lost in her own thoughts.

"Deal! Well, we'd better get going. The farther we travel today is the less we travel tomorrow. Bye Victini! Come on, Ez!" Called Carys, nudging Ezra.

"Huh? Oh. Bye." Ezra said, distracted, as she followed Carys out of the dungeon and back into the highlands.

Vaati, Kunoichi, and Ramaru were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they had accompanied the Hooded Brotherhood to the prison with Evan.

Although it was early in the morning, the heat was staggering. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, which was unusual for a high-altitude climate. The sun mercilessly shone on everything it could, well into the throes of summer. The humidity was tolerable, but doubtless it would rise as the day wore on. Ezra took no notice of the heat, or the blueness of the sky.

_Why was I brought here? That's the question I've been asking ever since I came here. I'm not evil, which is good. Was bringing me here a mistake? Did the Dark's leader accidentally bring me here too when _He_ brought Formora here? Wait, then she must have had her memories erased too! Yeah, she's said nothing about her former life. …Although, to be fair, our encounters haven't exactly been the most heartwarming. And her former life as a human isn't exactly something she'd tell just anybody. But if she remembers, then why don't I? And why was Formora turned into a Froslass when I turned into a Litwick? Was that on purpose, or did we turn into the Pokemon that closely fits our natures? Ugh, this is going to drive me _insane_! Voice, can you enlighten me?_ Ezra begged mentally.

There was no answer.

'_I'm your guide', it said. 'I'll be there for you', it said. _She grumbled, annoyed. It seemed that just when she needed Voice the most, it wasn't around. Suddenly it occurred to her that she hadn't said much all day to anyone. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't realized she was being rude.

"Hey, Carys?" She piped up hesitantly.

"Hmm?" Carys looked back at her.

"I'm sorry if I seemed abrupt to you and Victini when we left Destiny Ridge. I've just been lost in my thoughts, but that's no excuse." She said.

"I wouldn't blame you for that. A lot has happened this past week. Truth be told, I'm still trying to accept the fact that A: we're safe now, and B: Formora's the Dark Champion. I know that you were worried about being the Dark Champion before, so at least now you won't have to worry about that anymore!" Carys beamed, ever the optimist.

"Yeah, I guess so. But I still can't figure out why I was brought here. That's still the big question, and now it seems like I'm further from the truth than before!" Exclaimed Ezra, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

Carys paused, causing Ezra to bump into her. The small Pumpkaboo thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Maybe you're the Champion of Light? I can see you being that. You're kind, helpful, and make others feel better. And Sola did say that the Light Champion was once a human."

"I couldn't be!" Ezra said, horrified. "I'm not suited to lead Pokemon to victory! And I just do the right thing; anybody can do that. Also, I'm too small to be of any use! A Tyranitar could crush me in one step! And….Sola also said that the Light and Dark Champions were destined to fight each other to the death. I'm…I'm not a murderer. I'm not afraid to defend myself from dungeon Pokemon, but I wouldn't take their lives. I'd have to kill Formora, and as evil as she is, I would never be able to bring myself to….finishing….her. She'd definitely kill me without a thought, making her the victor and subsequently leading the Dark to victory, so we'd be out of luck! No, the fate of the world has to be a 50/50 chance, otherwise why bother with a Light Champion? And especially _me_ as the Champion?"

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens." Carys said in an odd tone, turning back and walking again.

They fell silent after that, walking out of the highlands and into a small forest, each preoccupied with her own thoughts. After a while, they exited the forest, and were shocked to find that snow was falling a few miles ahead! Indeed, the temperature was now noticeably cooler, even with the sun shining straight down on them. But what was most shocking was that the snow and sun were parallel to one another. The snow and clouds ended abruptly in a straight line, severing the landscape in half, and the other side held the grass and sun. It was as if there was an invisible wall separating the two climates.

"Tell me you see that." Said Ezra, mouth agape in awe.

"Yep. Are we dreaming?" Replied Carys, equally amazed.

"If so, we're dreaming the same dream."

They gingerly entered the snowy landscape, which eventually turned back into a coniferous forest, with mountains in the faint distance. The altitude shifted upwards again, and it was now quite cold, when it was blisteringly hot just a few minutes ago.

"I think this marks the place where Frostbite Taiga is. But…how is this possible? Taigas belong in the north, not here in the south." Objected Ezra, turning back towards where the sun had been. They were deep in the landscape now, and could no longer see the sudden weather shift.

"If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say it's a cause of the distorted dimensions. You know, natural disasters and weather oddities appearing everywhere, thanks to the Dark." Hypothesized Carys.

"I…see." Marveled Ezra, gazing at the landscape before them.

"Ugh, I'm tired of snow! Let's get outta here before I become a Pumpkaboo popsicle!" Shivered Carys as a large snowflake landed on her head.

"What flavor?" Asked Ezra as they searched for the dungeon.

"Chocolate." Carys answered as they traveled on.

An hour later, the shivering friends found the entrance to the dungeon. It was surrounded by dense pine trees that occasionally dumped large burdens of snow onto the ground.

"H-here we are." Chattered Ezra, reminded about their time up at the north. She was thoroughly sick of the cold by now. At least there wouldn't be any homicidal maniacs waiting for them at the end this time.

"L-l-let's be off." Agreed Carys, who wanted to be out of the fell weather.

**Frostbite Taiga ( watch?v=ariyY4Iw0SU)**

**B1F**

The area was still chilly, albeit a tad warmer than it was outside. The grass was a dusky greenish-gray color, and the walls were a light gray rock. But the best feature was the Stairs sitting a few yards away.

**B2F**

"We're almost home." Ezra said, surprised and grateful.

"We're almost home." Carys echoed, nodding.

"…What will happen once we get back?" Ezra asked after a moment.

"I dunno. Back to doing jobs, I guess. And searching for your answers, of course." Carys added. "But…after all that we've been through these past few days, going back to doing missions seems…odd. Like, we were on the run for our lives, and met the Dark Champion! And now we just go back to our daily lives?"

"I agree, it does seem odd. But I guess that's what will happen, unless something else needs our attention. That reminds me, I wonder how everyone back home is doing? I hope they're not worried." Fretted Ezra.

"Don't worry, after you went to bed last night, Victini hailed a Swellow and had it deliver a message to everyone at the Lofts. They know we're safe and on our way home." Assured Carys.

"Oh, really? Awesome. I'm glad." Ezra sighed in relief.

They spent the rest of the floor in silence.

**B3F**

They had just rounded a corner when a Medicham and a Delibird met them.

"Oh good. I need a good battle to warm me up!" Carys said mildly, Shadow Sneaking the Medicham just as Ezra used Flame Burst. The Medicham used Calm Mind as the Delibird waited impatiently, eager to get at the two. As Ezra sent out a Night Shade, the Medicham used Detect, rendering itself temporarily invincible.

"No fair!" Protested Ezra, watching as her attack did nothing. The Medicham grinned and used Ice Punch on her, making her see stars for a second but otherwise doing nothing. Ezra didn't even try to counterattack. She knew it would be useless. As she dodged a Force Palm, she noticed a Gravelrock soar over her and bonk the Medicham on the head, completely bypassing the Detect.

Ezra turned to see Carys toss another one. It too hit the foe somehow.

"It was worth a shot." Carys said, noticing Ezra staring at her.

"If throwing items work, then I'm all for it!" Said Ezra, hurling a Silver Spike at the Medicham.

It fell after another hit from Carys's Gravelrock, and then it was the Delibird's turn.

This time, Ezra simply tanked the Presents that hit her as she used Flame Burst over and over again. Suffice to say, the second battle was much more quicker than the last.

**B4F**

"Ooooh, Stairs!" Gushed Carys.

**B5F**

"Oooooh, more Stairs." Breathed Carys.

**B6F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

"Oooooh, snow." Mimicked Ezra as she saw snow lightly fall from the sky.

"Great. Now the ice-types will be faster." Groaned Carys.

This proved to be the case, as they came to a huge chamber guarded by a Piloswine, which moved much quicker than normal. Ezra, not wanting to deal with this nonsense, threw a Stun Seed at it, causing it to be paralyzed to the bone.

"Thank you." Said Carys as she and Ezra Razor-Burst it.

**B7F**

They had spawned with a Mamoswine and a Riolu. Carys was tangling with the Mamoswine while Ezra dealt with the Riolu.

"Why won't this thing faint?!" She heard Carys yell in frustration. Ezra nimbly dodged a Force Palm and finished her foe off with a Hex. Riolu defeated, she turned to help Carys, who had just been hit with a Mud Bomb.

"I keep Razor Leafing it, but it won't fall! I'm starting to think it's immortal!" Carys said, exasperated, as Ezra joined her.

"We could try a Flame-Leaf." Suggested Ezra.

"Sure, why not? I'll start. Razor Leaf!" Carys shouted, sending the razor-sharp leaves onto their foe. Ezra followed up with a Flame Burst, weakening the Mamoswine but not defeating it.

"I see what you mean. Hmm…I'll Hex it, and you Shadow Sneak it." Said Ezra.

"Flame Burst!"

"Trick-or-Treat!" Carys cried unexpectedly.

"Trick-or-Treat?" Repeated Ezra, confused. She watched as candy suddenly appeared around Carys and Mamoswine. A purple aura surrounded the Mamoswine, and it finally fell to a Shadow Sneak.

"It gives me candy?!" Carys shouted with glee, noticing that the candy remained even after the attack had ended. She dove into the piles of candy with great gusto. "Now I can satisfy my candy addiction while defeating my foes at the same time!" She trilled, gobbling mouthful after mouthful of candy.

Ezra shook her head in disbelief, wondering how to tell Franziska that her plans to wean Carys off of candy were now useless.

"So you finally admit that you have a candy problem?" Ezra asked, amused, as Carys finished snacking.

"I wouldn't call it a _problem_, per se, but I do know that this isn't healthy at all. …Don't tell Franzy I said that, though."

"Deal." Ezra laughed.

**B8F**

"Ahahahahahahahaha!" Guffawed Carys, noticing she had spawned right on top of the Stairs. Ezra laughed as well. It was a rare, but amusing occurrence.

**B9F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

"By the way, what does Trick-or-Treat do, aside from giving you candy?" Ezra asked, remembering the events on the 7th floor. Snow was falling lightly, making her flame _hiss_ as the flakes came into contact with it.

"It turns the target into a half-ghost type. When I used it on that Mamoswine back there, I turned it into a ice/ground/ghost-type. The effects are temporarily, naturally. It'll wake up as an ice/ground-type again." Explained Carys, shaking snow off of her head.

"Whoa. That's a thing?" Gaped Ezra, amazed.

"Yup."

"That is _awesome_! Wait, what move did you forget?" Asked Ezra.

Carys went through her moveset. Trick-or-Treat, Shadow Sneak, Confuse Ray, and Razor Leaf all worked perfectly, but she was unable to use Astonish.

"Eh, fair enough. It's not that powerful a move anyway." Carys shrugged, not seeming to mind.

"But it was replaced by an awesome one." Reminded Ezra.

"There is that."

**B10F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

"Stairs are nice. I like Stairs." Smiled Carys.

**B11F**

They had come to a large chamber, which held Poke and an apple near each other.

"I'll get the Poke, and you get the apple?" Offered Ezra.

"Sure." Agreed Carys as they split up.

But as Ezra was walking towards the Poke, she felt something trip her.

"Oof!" She mumbled, falling flat on her face and causing her Stamina Band to dislodge itself from her neck. It bounced a few feet before resting a few paces away from her. She rolled over to see that she had triggered a Trip Trap. She sighed, annoyed, but was grateful that this particular trap wasn't overtly dangerous.

"Walk much?" Laughed Carys, coming over to help her up. But as Carys was coming over, the floor beneath her gave way to reveal a Pit Trap.

"Uh oh. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Wailed Carys as she was pulled down to the next floor.

"Carys!" Ezra cried, feeling herself being tugged at by an invisible force. She scrambled to her feet, trying to get her Band back before it was lost to her.

Her hand was a centimeter away from the Stamina Band when she was teleported to the next floor.

**B12F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

"No!" Ezra screamed, stamping her foot. Her precious Stamina Band, which had given her an endurance boost—gone!

"Ooh, what happened?" Asked Carys, picking herself up.

"I couldn't get my Stamina Band in time, and now it's gone!" Wailed Ezra.

"Awww, I'm sorry about that. When we get home, I'll see if the Kecleon Brothers have one for sale." Sympathized Carys, nuzzling Ezra. "In the meantime, would you like mine?"

"No, no, that's okay. I'm just mad that I was too slow to grab it. Thanks for the offer, though. Now I guess I have to tough it out like normal explorers." Ezra smiled wryly at Carys, who grinned in return.

"But just think about how strong you'll be after all that walking and fighting when we get home! Team Siren'll have nothing on you!" Carys laughed.

Ezra laughed as well, feeling better already.

"How did you fall, by the way? You can fly." She said after she caught her breath.

"I felt something pulling me down. I guess whoever designed the trap didn't forget use levitating Pokemon." Carys explained.

"Well, he or she could've done us a huge favor and not make any traps." Grumbled Ezra.

**B13F**

A Medicham had spawned with them, along with the Stairs. Their foe was between them and the prized destination, though, unfortunately.

"Hex!" Ezra started the fight off. The Medicham countered with Detect, smirking aggravatingly. The two were prepared, though. Knowing that using moves was useless, they instead switched to their Gravelrocks and Silver Spikes, pelting and puncturing the foe until it was down.

**B14F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

"Let's try out Trick-or-Treat again!" Suggested Ezra, noticing a Delibird and Swinub.

"Oooooh, sounds fun! I'll obliterate that Delibird!" Laughed Carys, using Trick-or-Treat. The candy appeared, and the Delibird looked startled at the purple aura that was rising from it.

"You can't escape my candy-summoning!" Carys grinned wickedly as Ezra one-shotted it with a Hex. Doubtless it would have taken more attacks had the enemy not been made into a ghost-type. The Swinub feebly used Mud Slap on Ezra, which drew her attention. The Swinub fell to a Flame-Leaf. It honestly should not have attacked Ezra. It probably would have been spared.

"Aw, if I wasn't a ghost-type already, Trick-or-Treat could be so much fun! You could turn me into a ghost, and I could walk in the walls alongside you!" Ezra was saying as they got going again.

"Haha, yeah, but I'm glad you can do that normally. What if you met another ghost-type in the walls and got knocked out? You'd revive without the type, and what then? Would you suffocate?" Wondered Carys.

"…Good point. I take back what I said." Ezra said wisely.

**Frostbite Highlands**

They exited the dungeon to find that they had passed through the taiga and were just about to reenter the mountains. On the other side of this particular range lay Lily Town. The snow had stopped, and the sun was peeking out through the clouds. It was only midafternoon, judging by the sun, so the two decided to keep on going. They'd cross over the mountains, set up camp for the night, and arrive home in the early afternoon. Up ahead, the weather was acting strange again. The clouds were severed completely in half upon reaching the beginning of the mountain range, which seemed to have sweltering sun and heat waiting for them. It was almost as if this little out-of-place biome was in its own little dimension. Seeing as how things were in this world lately, the idea was entirely plausible.

"Okay…I think if we get through Mt. Zephyr—which must be in this mountain range here—we can set up camp for the night, and tomorrow we don't have to worry about any dungeons." Said Ezra, gazing at the scenery ahead.

"Sounds good! I can't wait to get back home and back into my cozy bed!" Carys sighed in bliss.

With that thought in mind, the two traveled out of the highlands and into the mountains.

**So, it looks like our heroes will be enjoying a short trip through the mountains and arriving home with absolutely no problems, right? Haha, WRONG! The next post shall have: mountains, Ezra's secret, and the Unknown. **


	37. Chapter 37

Ezra and Carys had been walking through the mountains for some time when they finally arrived at the entrance to Mt. Zephyr.

The entrance was carved into the face of the mountain, which held a slight-but-steady breeze that felt wonderful after being in the sun for most of the day.

"Ahh…That breeze feels good." Said Ezra, enjoying the wind chill on this summer day.

"It does." Agreed Carys. They took a moment to bask in the wind, then they got back to business.

"This dungeon doesn't look too bad. I think once we make it out it'll be sundown." Projected Ezra, looking at the late afternoon sky. The sky was just starting to lighten with the end of the day, and the temperature was just beginning to drop.

"I think you're right. Shall we?" Offered Carys.

"Let's." Nodded Ezra as they entered Mt. Zephyr.

**Mt. Zephyr ( watch?v=aHrqu9kQNw8)**

**1F**

The floor was made of light gray stone, and the walls were a deeper shade of the same color.

"Okay…Last dungeon until we get home. I say we take a week off and go to that hot spring near Lily Town. After all we've been through, I could sure use a vacation." Sighed Ezra, already looking forward to taking a dip in a nice warm spring.

"You took the words right out of my mouth. Let's get through this place as quick as we can, and then we can set up for the night. Tomorrow, we arrive home!" Grinned Carys.

The two, pumped for their return home, nodded and started traversing the rocky dungeon.

**2F**

As soon as they spawned on this floor, a Boldore came to ruin the party.

"Um, excuse me, but we're trying to get outta here. Could you let us by, please?" Inquired Carys.

The Boldore answered with a Smack Down, crushing her.

"Ow! A simple 'no' would've sufficed! Take my Razor Leaf!" Stormed Carys, sending the leaves at the foe at point-blank range. Normally an attack like this would've instantly KO'd a rock-type enemy, but for some strange reason the Boldore hung on by a thread.

"Ugh, Sturdy is _annoying_!" Carys sighed in annoyance, dodging a Mud Slap.

"What's Sturdy?" Asked Ezra as she finished it off with an Ember.

"Boldore's Ability. It prevents it from being one-shotted. An attack that would normally be a one-hit KO instead leaves it with only the tiniest sliver of health." Carys explained.

"Ah. Would one of our combo attacks trigger Sturdy, or since we're technically using two attacks—albeit at the same time—not activate it?" Asked Ezra thoughtfully.

"I…I'm not sure, to be honest. I've never come across a combined attack before, so I really don't know. Next time we run into a Boldore, we'll see." Replied Cary

**3F**

"Staaaaaiiirrrrssss…" Breathed Carys.

**4F**

They ran into another Boldore just as Ezra was eating an apple she found lying on the ground.

"Now we can see if a combo attack works on Pokemon with Sturdy!" Carys exclaimed excitedly. Ezra finished her apple and came to join her friend as the foe drew closer.

"Shall we do a Razor Leaf/Night Shade combo this time?" She asked.

"Sounds good. On three…one…..two…..three! Razor Leaf!" Shouted Carys just as Ezra announced her attack.

Razor-sharp leaves and red waves of energy hit the Boldore at the exact same time. The Boldore stumbled and fell….and stoically got back up again.

"Aw, Sturdy triggered." Pouted Ezra. Carys quickly finished it off with a Shadow Sneak.

"I guess since the attacks hit at the same time, it counted as one. Oh well, it was worth a try anyway." She sighed.

"Yeah. I guess. Come on, who knows how many more floors we have in here?"

**5F**

They had just defeated a Machoke in a chamber and were nonchalantly walking towards a corridor when Ezra triggered a Sticky Trap. Slimy goo sprayed upwards and onto them and their bag.

"Ugh! Disgusting!" Stormed Ezra, wiping gunk off of her body.

"It got all over this Oran Berry, too. I'm definitely not eating this thing, not after it was sprayed with who knows what." Carys made a face as she tossed out the offending berry.

"Looks like we need baths." Winced Ezra as she looked down at her dirty body.

"Or a Cleanse Orb." Agreed Carys as they grudgingly moved on, trying not to get slime on each other or anything else.

**6F**

"Here they are." Said Ezra, noticing that they had spawned with the Stairs yet again.

**7F**

After traversing through a labyrinthine floor, they finally found the chamber with the Stairs.

"About time!" Exclaimed Ezra, whose feet were sore after what felt like miles of wandering through the floor. The halls were long and mazelike, and the chambers were few, tiny, and situated at the outskirts of the floor. Plus they had fought enemy after enemy in this confusing place.

She walked to the Stairs, but was surprised when she felt herself being teleported elsewhere. She looked down just in time to notice that she had triggered a Warp Trap.

"Argh!" She shouted as she teleported to the opposite side of the floor. She knew it was the opposite side because they had found and ignored a Special Band in this tiny room a while ago. Annoyed at her luck, she waited impatiently for Carys to ascend the Stairs without her.

**8F**

At least this floor wasn't a labyrinth like the last one had been. The only caveat was that they had spawned with a Machoke, Boldore, and Golbat.

"I'll take Golbat and Machoke. You can have Boldore." Said Ezra, not wishing to deal with a rock-type.

"'Kay. This'll only take a second, and then I'll help you." Said Carys as she dodged a Smack Down from the Boldore.

Ezra, on the other hand, was hit by a Wing Attack from Golbat, but she managed to dodge a Vital Throw from Machoke.

She returned with a Hex at Machoke, but was knocked off of her feet by an Air Cutter.

"Ouch! Ohhh, you're gonna get it now." She growled at the Golbat as she got to her feet.

It responded with a Confuse Ray, making her vision go blurry. She tried to focus, but her head was spinning too much. She felt a great pain in her side, which caused her to fall down. She tried to get up, but another great pain knocked her right back down. Presently, her vision cleared, and she saw that the Machoke was gone and Carys was tangling with the Golbat.

"Trick-or-Treat!" She shouted, making candy appear. Golbat responded with an Air Cutter, which made Carys hiss with pain.

"That hurt! Shadow Sneak!" She stormed, sending her shadow at her foe.

"And Night Shade!" Added Ezra, getting to her feet. The Golbat fell.

"Thanks for that." Grimaced Ezra as the last of the confusion wore off.

"No prob." Returned Carys.

**9F**

They entered a chamber to find a Kecleon Shop waiting for them.

"Greetings, explorers. How may I be of service?" He greeted them.

"Hi. Um, do you by any chance have any Cleanse Orbs? As you can see, we hit a Sticky Trap a few floors back." Ezra asked.

"Or any Luminous Orbs?" Chimed in Carys.

"As a matter of fact, I do! 1600 Poke total, for one Cleanse Orb and two Luminous Orbs." Said the Kecleon, holding out the items.

"How much money do we have?" Whispered Ezra to Carys.

"Uhh…..10, 458 Poke." Carys whispered back, checking.

"WHAT?!" Ezra screamed, astounded. That was an insane amount of money!

"We've traveled through eight dungeons of varying lengths without running into a bank. How are you not surprised?" Explained Carys quietly.

"...Deal." Said Ezra to Kecleon, still amazed at how much money they had accumulated.

"Excellent. Will there be anything else?" He asked as Ezra handed over the money.

"No, I think we're good. Thanks though." Carys shook her head.

"Very well. I hope to be seeing you soon. Oh, and could you please activate that Orb away from my wares? I don't want them to get wet." Asked Kecleon.

"Will do. Goodbye." Said Ezra as they left the chamber.

In the next chamber they found, they immediately activated the Cleanse Orb. A huge torrent of water gushed down on them from above, washing away all of the gunk. Ezra's flame temporarily went out due to the water, but reignited once the cascade ended.

"Ahh…that feels better." Ezra sighed happily, enjoying the feeling of cleanliness.

"You said it. Now let's go undo all of that by fighting with this Ariados." Said Carys, noticing an Ariados entering the chamber.

"I would like that." Responded Ezra, grinned wickedly.

**10F**

"Stairs." Said Ezra.

**11F**

"Wanna use a Luminous Orb?" Asked Carys as they discovered they were back in a labyrinth again.

"_Yes._" Emphasized Ezra, who hated this type of floor. Carys broke the Orb at her feet.

"….Okay, the Stairs are on the other side of the floor. There are a bunch of enemies in between us, though." She warned.

"I don't care. As long as we exit this maze, I'm fine." Dismissed Ezra.

**12F**

"Ember!" Shouted Ezra, attacking an Ariados blocking their way. It chittered angrily and returned with a Poison Sting. Unfortunately, Ezra was poisoned.

"Ugh!" She muttered, feeling the effects course through her.

"If you can handle this Ariados, I'll wall-travel ahead and see if I can find the Stairs." Offered Carys.

"Y-yeah, I think I can handle it….just hurry." Mumbled Ezra as she dodged a Spider Web.

"Okay. I won't let you faint, Ez." Said Carys as she disappeared into the wall.

Ezra managed to rouse enough energy for a Flame Burst, which thankfully ended the Ariados. Sluggishly, she moved through the corridor, hoping Carys would find the Stairs soon.

Fortunately, Carys found the Stairs shortly after the fight.

**13F**

"Oh good. Stairs." Carys sighed in relief as they spawned.

**Mt. Zephyr Peak**

As Ezra had predicted earlier, it was indeed sundown when they exited the dungeon. They arrived at the top of the mountain, where they could see much of the land around them.

"Whoa…." They said in unison, awed at the view.

Down below they could see lakes, forests, small villages, and hills dotting the area. The wind was noticeably stronger up here, but it wasn't enough to threaten to knock the two off their feet. The sky was streaked with pastel shades of pink, orange, and purple. It almost looked like an artist had splashed buckets of paint onto the sky, each bucket aimed lower than the last. It was a comforting picture, and the two were loath to leave this spectacular scene.

As they climbed down the mountain, they looked for suitable crevices to set up camp for the night. Down near the base of the mountain, they found a medium-sized cave that looked like it had once been occupied, but had since been abandoned.

Stale hay was stacked in the corner, making a makeshift bed, and there was a small stream running through the cave. In the middle of the chamber was a charred spot, as if there had once been a fire there. Ezra and Carys decided to make this their temporary home for the night, and briskly set out to forage for fresh rushes, firewood and berries. Once they had found what they were looking for, Ezra set the wood alight and they ate apples and Oran berries for dinner. It wasn't overly filling, but it was enough to satisfy their bellies for the time being. Eager to get an early start the next day, the two fell asleep together on their makeshift bed of leaves and ferns.

* * *

Ezra woke with a splitting headache early the next day. It felt like she was being DynamicPunched in the head over and over again. What was strange, though, was that the pain didn't feel like it was coming from her. It was definitely coming from inside her head, but it almost felt like it was being generated by something else, something in her mind.

_Voice?_ She thought tentatively, just as Carys was starting to stir. She thought she felt a slight recognition come from the maelstrom that was her headache, but she couldn't be sure.

"Hey Ez…What's up?" Murmured Carys sleepily, noticing she was awake. Ezra ignored her.

_Voice? Is that you?_

_**Aaaahhhh…..**_ Came Voice's barely-audible reply.

_Voice! You're there! What happened? Why are you doing this to me? _She asked as another wave of pain washed through her head.

"Ez?" Asked Carys, rising.

_**I….I…can't do this anymore…**_

_What do you mean?_

_**I don't know if I will make it out alive anymore.** _Voice said miserably.

_What?! What do you mean?_

"Hello? Earth to Ezra…" Trailed Carys, floating in front of her.

_**I'm…..dying. My captors have taken too much of my life source from me. I started with 18 shards, and now I only have five. And they will only continue to take them from me until I am no more…..**_

_Well, tell me where you are and I'll save you! _Ezra exclaimed, worried.

_**It wouldn't matter if I did. My prison is hidden, and you don't have the key to find it. I don't know where the Dark hid the key.** _Voice said sadly.

_I have to do _something_! Tell me, is there anything I can do?_

_**Well…..I'd hoped it wouldn't have come to this, but…You're going to need to tell your friends about me and my predicament. It'll officially make you enemies of _He Who Is_, but if it would save me and save the Light…**_ Voice trailed off uncertainly.

"Ezra! What are you doing?" Demanded Carys.

_It will?_

_**Yes. _He_ will…..hunt you down relentlessly, but…..**_

_I'll take that risk. I can't—won't—just stand aside as someone is slowly killed. If I can do something—_anything_—to help you, I will. I know I've never met you before, but….my heart is telling me it's the right thing to do. _Ezra resolved.

_**Such a kind soul. I knew I could have faith in you, Ezra. Very well. When you arrive home, I will help you tell your friends about me. You'll have to be my spokeswoman, but I'll do my best to explain everything as best as I can under the circumstances. You'll need your friends' help to find the last of my shards. Start with Carys. …I'm going to leave for now. I'll be with you soon, Ezra.** _And with that, Voice vanished from her mind, bringing most of the pain with it. Her head still ached, but it was much tolerable than it was a few seconds ago. Ezra looked up, and jumped in fright when she saw that Carys was right in her face.

"Palkia's teeth, Carys! What are you doing?!" She exclaimed.

"What are _you_ doing? You were in trance for half an hour! I kept calling your name, but you wouldn't answer me!" Carys retorted.

"Half…an hour? It took that long?" Ezra said, confused.

"What took that long? Ez, what's going on?" Demanded Carys.

Ezra took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to say. This was as good a time as any to reveal her secret to Carys.

"I was having a mental conversation with another Pokemon." She admitted. Carys snorted.

"Yeah, and I'm the queen of Lily Town."

"No, for real, I was! Listen, ever since I got here, I've been periodically having conversations with another Pokemon in my mind. It told me to come to Lily Town with you, to keep the Mysterious Shards we find, and to become an explorer with you." She said, cursing herself for how crazy she must be sounding to Carys.

"_It's true, Carys."_ Said Voice, but this time the sound came from _outside_ of Ezra's mind.

Ezra must have looked equally as startled as Carys did.

"Who was that?!" She demanded.

"That was Voice, aka the Pokemon I converse with. It's never done that before, though…" Ezra trailed off.

_**Takes too much energy. Don't make me do that again unless you absolutely have to.** _Begged Voice, this time from within the confines of Ezra's mind.

"'Voice'? You don't even know his or her name?" Carys asked skeptically.

"No, it told me that to speak its name was to invite the attention of _Him_. But I do know that Voice is the Pokemon that was being kept prisoner by the Darkness. Do you remember what Uxie told us?" Asked Ezra.

"Yeah, that a powerful Pokemon was being kept hostage by _Him_. You're telling me that this Voice character is that very prisoner? How can you be sure that it's not _Him_ instead?" Protested Carys.

_At least she finally believes me about Voice…._Thought Ezra. "I have a feeling in my gut, is all. I've actively felt its pain before. Its agony was true, not something self-inflicted or done on purpose. Also, Uxie addressed the Dark leader as 'him'. Voice is an 'it'. It also told me that the Mysterious Shards actually belong to it; that's why we need to find them. There are 18 total. Voice only has five left with it. The Dark is slowly killing it, Carys. Once the last five Shards are severed from it….I guess it dies. Just now, when I was in a trance, it told me that." She explained in a rush.

Carys thought for several minutes.

"…..Why haven't you told me about it before?" She asked finally.

"It told me not to. I think it was worried about _Him_ finding out and killing it right then and there. Plus, it doesn't know you and our friends as well as I do. Sure, it knows about them, but it hasn't had the experiences we've had with them. But now…now that it's truly in danger of dying, I think it's forced to take a big risk and ask for more help." Ezra said.

Again, Carys was silent for a long time.

"I believe you." She said simply.

"What?"

"I believe you. I heard it myself, and what you've said certainly answers a few of my questions. This isn't the first time I've noticed you in a trance, Ez. I figured something was up, but I decided not to pry. And I have wondered why you were so adamant about finding the Shards. A mysterious captive kept by the Dark that holds 18 Shards and needs your help….It makes sense now. So, I will help you and A—Voice find its Shards and save it from the Dark." Carys explained, a small, knowing smile on her face.

Ezra felt as if a large burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She embraced her friend, tears coming to her eye.

"Thank you." She said simply, knowing that no words could ever hope to express how touched by the level of trust Carys held for her.

"You're welcome." Replied Carys warmly. They held their embrace for a few minutes more, and then they set off for home.

They were just starting to leave the mountain range when the sound of wailing rang out through the air. The two raced to find a weeping Mismagius and Weavile.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" Asked Ezra kindly, coming over near the two. Her headache was completely gone by now.

"Oh…It's nothing." Said the Mismagius, sniffling.

"Obviously not, if you're crying. We're an exploration team; maybe we can help?" Offered Carys.

The Mismagius and Weavile shared an uncertain look.

"Well…okay. My name is Luna, and this is Umbra. We're members of an exploration team named Team Lunar Wind. We are the disciples of a majestic lady whose name I dare not say, not in these times. Do you see that cave over there?" Asked the Mismagius looking at a small cleft in the mountainside.

"Yeah." Said Ezra.

Unexpectedly, a small tremor coursed through the land. A few pebbles fell loose from the cave's entrance. Doubtless a good quake and the entire cave would collapse.

"That's the entrance to a dungeon called Rigid Cave. Not too long ago, our rivals came and took our third teammate into the dungeon with them, intending to use her as a hostage. These hooligans, who call themselves the Unknown, plan to use our teammate to lure Our Lady close, so they can take her to their own wicked master, who is Our Lady's most hated rival. We'd go in to save her, but as you can see, Rigid Cave is perilously close to collapsing forever. Also, we are awaiting a message from Our Lady, so we dare not leave this area, lest the message fall into the wrong hands." Said Umbra, looking sadly at the entrance.

"We'll go and rescue your teammate." Said Carys after a moment.

"You will? But…the cave…" Umbra trailed off, sharing a bewildered look with his teammate.

"We'll pop in and rescue your friend real quick, before it collapses. Don't worry about us." Ezra dismissed.

"….You are too kind. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel." Luna bowed her head in respect.

"Don't mention it. By the way, what species is your friend?" Asked Ezra.

"She's a Lumineon named Selene. You can't miss her." Supplied Umbra.

"Thanks. We'll be out lickety-split!" Beamed Carys as she and Ezra raced into the dungeon, just as another small tremor shook the land.

**Rigid Cave ( watch?v=0rQYLxWwB6A)**

**B1F**

The area was dark and the air clammy. The ground was made of dark gray stone, and the walls a jet black obsidian.

"Let's get this over with. I'd hate to die in here." Ezra said grimly.

"Yeah. By the way, we never asked Team Lunar Wind what species the Unknown were." Said Carys.

"Well, I guess they'll be the Pokemon holding a Lumineon hostage." Replied Ezra.

**B2F**

"Oh good, an easy floor. Why can't all floors be like this one?" Carys sighed in bliss, seeing the Stairs with them.

"I agree, but only because we need to save Selene." Said Ezra shortly as a small earthquake shook the dungeon.

**B3F**

"I wonder what Pokemon the Unknown and Team Lunar Wind work for." Wondered Ezra, just after they had finished fighting Gastlys.

"I dunno. But if Lunar Wind was afraid of speaking their employee's name, then I guess she works for the Light, and the Unknown works for the Dark." Speculated Carys.

"That would make sense. I guess _He_ is looking for her as well, so _He_ had the Unknown try to lure her into the open." Agreed Ezra.

"Well, we're not gonna let them win!" Grinned Carys.

**B4F**

They were casually walking across the chamber when Ezra activated a Gust Trap. The trap spun under her feet—then flung her straight into the arms of a newly-spawned Exploud.

Angered, it used Uproar, but fortunately the effects were lessened due to Ezra being a ghost-type.

"Nice try." She said, recovering from the unexpected twist by using Flame Burst. Carys flung a Razor Leaf from afar as well, angering the foe even more. It used Hyper Voice, which gave Ezra a headache.

"You've made me very angry." She stormed, not wanting to deal with another headache. In response, the Exploud used Crunch on her, causing her to scream with pain.

She was released, and she felt rage shoot through her. Luckily, the Exploud had been burned due to Flame Body.

"Very angry indeed!" She shouted, KOing it with a final Flame Burst.

"Easy there, girl." Said Carys as she walked over.

Ezra said nothing, only channeled her rage into one last Flame Burst, which harmlessly hit the wall. Rage expunged, she turned back to Carys.

"I'm okay now." She said as they moved on.

**B5F**

"Stairs are always nice." Grinned Carys.

**B6F**

They didn't spawn with the Stairs, but a Spiritomb and Haunter arrived with them.

"Spiritomb is part dark-type. Be careful around it." Warned Carys as Ezra started the fight with a Night Shade directed at Haunter. It dodged, and threw a Shadow Ball at Carys, who was too slow to avoid it. Spiritomb followed up with a Sucker Punch onto the Pumpkaboo, who wailed in pain.

"Carys! Ergh, Hex!" Stormed Ezra, hitting the Haunter. It growled and Licked her, causing her to be paralyzed. Carys finished it off with a Shadow Sneak, then traded blows with Spiritomb. It dodged her Razor Leaf, but was caught by a Blast Seed. As it was recovering from that, Carys ended it with a Razor Leaf.

Presently, Ezra regained mobility, and they set off once more.

**B7F**

"Ugh, I'm glad we have you here, otherwise I dunno how we'd ever get outta here." Grimaced Carys. Ezra's flame was providing the only source of light in this wretched place.

"Yeah." She agreed absently, worried about the cave collapsing.

They entered a chamber, only to find a Monster House waiting for them.

"Argh!" Ezra shouted. A Monster House was the last thing they needed right now!

"Turn and run into the walls! Let's split up!" Said Carys as they backed out of the dungeon.

"I'll distract any ghost-types that follow you! Find the Stairs!" Said Carys, nudging Ezra into a wall.

"What?" Ezra protested.

"Just go! We can't deal with a Monster House right now!" Gritted Carys as she took out a Gastly with a Shadow Sneak.

"O-okay…." Said Ezra, turning into the wall and searching for the Stairs.

After ducking into chamber after chamber, she eventually found the Stairs.

**B8F**

Another tremor shook just as they spawned. A few rocks were jarred loose from the wall. Ez and Carys looked at each other worryingly.

"Luminous Orb?" Offered Carys. Ezra nodded and broke the Orb at her feet, pausing as the image of the map entered her mind.

"…The Stairs are just in this next chamber." She reported.

**B9F**

"I see Stairs." Pointed Ezra.

**B10F**

"Hah!" Shouted Carys as she threw a Gravelrock over Ezra's head and onto the Spiritomb Ezra was fighting in a corridor. It was enough to defeat it, but an Exploud came to take its place.

"Leave us alone! Flame Burst!" Snarled Ezra, who was sick of this crumbling dungeon. The Exploud returned with a Stomp, which Ezra nimbly dodged.

"That Exploud is holding a Luminous Orb!" Reported Carys as she lobbed another Gravelrock at the foe.

"Your Ability telling you that?" Asked Ezra after she used Ember.

"Yup." Confirmed Carys as the two finished the Exploud off with a Shadow-Burst.

Ezra picked up the dropped Orb.

"Should we use it now or later?" She asked.

"Hmm….We've come pretty far into the dungeon already. Let's use it on the next floor, if there is one." Said Carys.

"Alright then." Ezra said as she put away the Luminous Orb.

As luck would have it, the Stairs were in the next chamber they came into.

**B11F**

"Luminous Orb time." Said Ezra as she broke the Orb.

"…Over here." She said as the image came into her mind.

**Rigid Cave Depths**

They arrived at the end of the dungeon just as another tremor shook the land.

"Argh! Luckily we've come to the end. Let's find Selene and get outta here." Ezra winced as more rocks fell from the ceiling.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." Said a sinister voice.

An all-black Bisharp came out of the shadows, along with a Shiny Delphox wearing a witch's hat and red Feraligatr. The latter two were holding a frightened-looking Lumineon between them.

"Selene!" Called Ezra.

"That's me, but who are you?" She asked, confused.

"We've come to rescue you! Luna and Umbra are waiting outside the dungeon." Said Carys.

"They wouldn't even come to rescue their own teammate? Some friends you have." Said the Delphox, shoving Selene a little.

"Hmph." Selene snorted. No doubt she knew the real reason why her teammates aren't rescuing her. To them, their duty was more important than their lives.

"Well, anyway, you two aren't the one we seek. Move along before you get hurt." The Bisharp made a shooing motion with his hand.

"Never! We're Team Banshee! It's our job to put outlaws like you in your place!" Exclaimed Ezra, gearing up for a fight.

"…..Very well. If it's a battle you want, then a battle you shall get!" The Bisharp snarled.

"Release Selene; My Lord will be much more interested in these interlopers. Perhaps they know where we can find our most hated foe." The Bisharp said as his teammates released the poor Lumineon, who fled the dungeon.

"Good luck, friends!" She shouted as she left.

"Swoooorrrddd, why did you do that? We could have kept her _and_ these kids." Protested the Delphox.

"Your job is to obey me and not question me, Fire. Now, let us destroy these two." The Bisharp—Sword?—snarled, bringing his blades up.

"Do we really have to fight?" Sighed the Feraligatr.

"Yes." Sword and Fire chorused together.

**Boss Battle!**

Fire immediately kicked off the fight by using Magic Room, which confused Ezra and Carys.

"Oh no, I can't use my Stamina Band. Whatever shall I do?" Carys called mockingly over to her.

"Shut up. She was just taking a precaution." Snarled Sword as he dove in with a Night Slash aimed at Carys. She dodged, and Ezra took advantage as he recovered by hitting him with Flame Burst in the back.

He turned, snarling, and leapt at her. She was too slow to dodge, and was hit with an Assurance that sent her flying until she eventually crashed into the wall, dislodging a few rocks in the process.

"Do you mind?! I'd rather we not bring the walls on our heads!" She shouted at Sword after she got back to her feet. He said nothing, only prepared a Night Slash. Meanwhile, Fire was using Tail Whip, lowering Ezra and Carys' defense.

"War! Help me!" She hissed to the Feraligatr, who was standing by and doing nothing.

"Do I have to?" He complained.

"Yes." She and Sword chorused again. Grumbling, War halfheartedly sent a Hydro Pump at Carys, who easily dodged.

"There. I helped." He said, sitting back down.

"Useless! Ugh. Never mind." Sword sighed in annoyance, leaping at Ezra again. She tried to counter by hitting him with Flame Burst as he dove at her, but the Bisharp tanked the blow and hit her with another Night Slash.

"Ahh!" She cried.

"Ezra! Here!" Said Carys, tossing an Oran Berry at her.

"No." Said Sword, glowing red. The Oran Berry glowed red for a second as well, and suddenly it was too hot to hold. She shrieked in pain and dropped it.

"Embargo. We can't use items." Carys said grimly, just before she was hit with Will-o-Wisp from Fire.

Ezra gritted her teeth, and shot a Hex off at the annoying Fire. She howled in rage and glared at her, but otherwise did nothing in return. Taking advantage, Ezra used Night Shade, but this time Fire countered by using Light Screen, shielding herself from most of the blow while upping her team's special defense and special attack at the same time. Ezra fired off another Hex, but it didn't do much damage to the protected Fire. She retaliated with another Tail Whip, and Ezra was so absorbed in her that she didn't notice Sword coming up behind her. He hit her brutally with Assurance, and it was enough to knock her out.

Although Embargo was in place, it fortunately ignored Reviver Seeds, as Ezra was revitalized by a white light. She grinned wickedly at the two foes. War was busy writing what looked to be a musical piece nearby, ignoring the battlers.

"Ugh, Reviver Seeds. So unfair." Fire grimaced.

"I can defeat them as many times as I wish. I am not worried." Sword told her.

"Trick-or-Treat." Said Carys in response, aimed at Fire.

Ezra hit her with a Hex, and surprisingly this was enough to knock her out.

"So weak." War said idly, looking up from his notes for a minute before going back to them.

"I agree. No matter, I can defeat you by myself/" Sword agreed as he launched himself at Carys. She was subsequently knocked out by his buffed-up Assurance, thanks to Light Screen and Tail Whip.

"Carys! Ergh…" Ezra scowled and hit Sword with an Ember, hoping to burn him. It didn't work, and it only made the Bisharp angrier.

"War! Help me!" He roared at his teammate. War looked at Sword, then at Team Banshee, then back at Sword.

"Nah." He said eventually.

"Why?!" Demanded Sword.

"I don't like fighting. I'd rather be playing piano and making daisy chains in the sunshine." War said simply.

"I'm going to make a daisy chain out of _you_ if you don't fight them!" Threatened Sword.

War's reply was lost as another earthquake struck. This one, however, was much powerful than the others, and a fissure was opening up in the ground.

"Change of plan. We get out of here!" Sword amended, seeing as the dungeon was finally collapsing. He and War picked up the fallen Fire, and hastily ran towards the exit.

Meanwhile, Ezra and Carys were being tossed and turned all over the place from the shaking. The fissure was opening wider and wider, and the ceiling rumbled from the oncoming landslide. The two could not for the life of them get to their feet. They were entirely at the mercy of the earthquake, which eventually tossed them into the ever-growing fissure in the ground…

* * *

The next thing Ezra knew, she was lying on soft grass, and there was something tickling her face. She opened her eye to find that a flower petal had fallen on top of her. She sat up to find that they were now outside in a strange place, covered in small pink flowers. The sun was shining high up ahead, and the terrain was starting to dip downwards. She felt for broken bones, and found only large bruises. Carus was beside her, still unconscious. It was a lush place, and they seemed to be under a small rocky alcove. In every direction except forward and down lay part of the mountain range. A dungeon of sorts seemed to be ahead. High above, Ezra could see the fissure that had pulled them down, and it seemed to be holding the ceiling from Rigid Cave, which was no more.

She heard Carys stir beside her.

"Ohh….what happened?" She asked, getting up.

"We fell from Rigid Cave and into this…secret valley. Are you okay?" She asked.

Carys moved her body a little bit.

"Yeah, just bruised. You?"

"Bruises too. We sure were lucky." Ezra remarked looking back up. Carys followed her gaze.

"Whoa, that's the ceiling from the dungeon! Wow." She marveled. The two turned towards the land in front of them. The only direction they could move was forward.

"I think a dungeon is up ahead. Where do you think it leads to?" Asked Ezra.

"I dunno. I guess we'll find out." Carys replied in a small voice.

Bracing themselves, they moved forward.

**Thanks to Magnet Man for the Unknown! (Team Lunar Wind belongs to me)**

**Note: I received this OC a long time ago, so I am not breaking my own no-more-OCs rule. I had planned to have this OC appear at this time when I first started this fic. I had a role I needed to fill, and they fit nicely. A few more new OCs will appear in the future, but again, I have received them prior to my announcement. **

**The next post will contain: A dungeon, sinister siblings, and a confession. **

**The next post is also the Chapter 8 finale, but remember, I will dive straight into Chapter 9. See you then~**


	38. Chapter 38

**Secret Valley ( watch?v=ehSqqqvePSg)**

**B1F**

The terrain in this lush dungeon was filled with flora. The ground was packed with soft earth, and the walls were made out of bushes with colorful flowers growing on them. All in all, it was a pretty place.

"Wow…." Ezra and Carys chorused, taking in the scenery. The air was nice and crisp, and it smelled nice and fresh, with a hint of roses.

"This place is _beautiful_!" Exclaimed Ezra.

"Uh-huh. Maybe the end of this place can be our vacation spot. If the inside is this pretty, the outside must be _stunning._" Agreed Carys.

With that said, they got moving. They didn't talk much; they were too busy enjoying the area. The only foe they encountered was a Chikorita, which fell easily to a Flame Burst from Ezra. This floor had only five chambers, with short halls in between. Hopefully the rest of the dungeon would have tiny floors like this one.

**B2F**

"What are you going to say to the others when we get home? Will you give them the whole story, or will you leave out some things?" Asked Carys to Ezra, meaning the mysterious voice in Ezra's head.

Ezra thought for a moment. What she was going to say would be no small thing, but she felt brevity would work best in making her friends believe her. It was a miracle in itself that Carys believed her and didn't think she was insane. She wasn't sure if she could pull the same thing off multiple times, as it was entirely possible that what would convince one Pokemon wouldn't convince another. Yes, a short explanation would work best, she thought.

"I think I'll give them the short version of what I told you. I'll tell them….I'll tell them that I was contacted telepathically by a mysterious entity who desperately needed my—and everyone's—help. I'll explain about the Shards, and—"

"Hold that thought, there's an Ivysaur who wants to tango with us." Interrupted Carys, who was leading the party.

"Move over and I'll Flame Burst it." Said Ezra. Carys moved, and Ezra hit the foe with the attack. Well, she attempted to. Ivysaur ducked and rebounded with Sleep Powder, making Ezra fall asleep.

She didn't feel anything hit her, luckily, so Carys must have taken care of it. When she awoke, the Ivysaur was indeed gone.

"What was I saying?" She yawned, stretching as she got up.

"You'll tell everyone about the Shards." Supplied Carys helpfully as she took the lead again.

"Oh yeah. I'll tell them that Voice is _His_ captive, and we need to rescue it."

"But how will you convince them all that Voice is on our side, and not _Him_ in disguise?" Asked Carys. She had a very good point.

"Well…..it wouldn't make sense for _Him_ to want to gather all the Shards, when it was _He_ who spread them out in the first place. I think _He'd _ want them to remain hidden, so we can't give them back to Voice. I'll ask it if it can project itself outside my mind again. That way they can hear it themselves. That's all I got for now; I'll think on it some more." Said Ezra, shrugging.

**B3F**

"Oh hey, Stairs." Noticed Ezra when they spawned.

**B4F**

"More Stairs!" Trilled Carys, laughing.

**B5F**

This time, they spawned with a Meganium and Roselia, along with a Pecha Berry lying in one corner.

"Oh yay. Status effects galore." Sighed Carys, Trick-or-Treating the Meganium.

"Don't worry, you have me on your side. They won't stand a chance. See?" Replied Ezra as she KO'd the Roselia in one Flame Burst. She was liking this dungeon even more. She could one-shot anything that stood in their way.

Meganium, in the meantime, had hit Carys with PoisonPowder.

"You—ugh—think that concerns me? There's a freaking Pecha Berry behind you!" She chastised it, hitting it with Shadow Sneak. Even with Trick-or-Treat, it wasn't enough to defeat the foe.

Ezra ended the fight with an Ember. She looked at Carys and smiled.

"Show off." Grumbled Carys, going over to eat the Pecha Berry.

**B6F**

This floor, like the very first one, was tiny. It only held six chambers, and they had finally found the one that held the Stairs. The only thing that lay between them and the Stairs was a simple Bulbasaur. Ezra went to tangle with it as Carys went to pick up a Warp Orb that was lying nearby. The fight ended before Carys even touched the Orb.

**B7F**

They were wandering through the halls when they came across a Roserade. It kicked off the fight with Magical Leaf, which fortunately didn't do much to Ezra, who was leading. She countered with Ember, but the foe easily jumped out of the way.

"No you don't." Said Carys, extending her shadow past Ezra and onto the Roserade. It scowled and used Weather Ball on Ezra, who wasn't too badly hurt by the attack. A Flame Burst later, and the enemy was gone, only for a Bayleef to take its place.

"Really?" Sighed Carys, lobbing their last Gravelrock at it. The Bayleef caught the item and tossed it onto Ezra's head, giving her a slight headache.

Trying to gather the energy for a Flame Burst, Ezra dodged a Razor Leaf from Bayleef. She shot off the attack, and the Bayleef stumbled. It took some serious inner strength for it to get back up again, but unfortunately for the Bayleef, it was quickly dispatched by a Shadow Sneak.

They had only gone a few steps when yet _another_ foe came to stop them. This time, it was a Floette. Ezra's fire attacks wouldn't so much good against this particular foe. She sent out the red waves of energy that was Night Shade, and was hit with a Fairy Wind for her trouble.

"Shadow Sneak!" Stormed Carys, extending her shadow once more. The Floette fell, and thankfully no other Pokemon came to harass them.

**B8F**

"How long do you think this place is?" Asked Carys shortly after they had spawned. They were in a chamber with exits in the north, south, and eastern walls of the room. They were heading for the northern exit.

"Dunno. Hopefully not too long; this little detour is already delaying our arrival home." Frowned Ezra, who had hoped to be in Lily Town by now.

"True. Hmm, I wonder what's been happening in town while we've been—oh! The Stairs!" Grinned Carys as they came to the next chamber, which held the precious Stairs.

They raced towards them, with Ezra in the lead. Just a few more steps, and…and she set off a trap. This was a new one, and had the face of a Slowpoke printed onto it. As she activated it, she felt all of her energy be drained in an instant. A great lethargy came over her, and it was all she could do to remain upright.

"What happened to you?" Asked Carys, skidding to a stop once she realized Ezra had fallen behind.

"Dun….dunno…..So…tired….." Wheezed Ezra, who wanted to lie down and take a nap right then and there. Carys looked at the activated trap and sighed.

"A Slow Trap. Well, no use having you walk with me to the Stairs. You'd better just stay there while I descend down the Stairs." Said Carys. It took all of Ezra's energy to nod in agreement.

**B9F**

"At least we have another easy floor." Remarked Ezra as they noticed the Stairs were with them again. She was enjoying having her energy restored.

"Yep." Agreed Carys.

**B10F**

In this tiny floor, they had found the Stairs to be in the next chamber over. They were guarded by a Meganium and a Chikorita, which meant that this fight would be a short one. And indeed it was. Ezra one-shotted the Chikorita with a Flame Burst while Carys used Confuse Ray on Meganium. A Flame-Sneak later and they were good to go.

"Hey, do you remember our very first clients, on the day we met? The Meganium and her Shiny Chikorita child?" Asked Carys, reminiscing.

"Yeah, I do. I wonder how they're doing. I hope they've been having a good life out in the country, and that no one has bothered them." Nodded Ezra as they wandered over to the Stairs.

"That was…a little over a month ago? Around that. Wow." Said an amazed Carys.

"Wait, I've been here for a month? That seems….too short." Protested Ezra.

"It does. In the span of almost two months, we've met so many Pokemon and done so much. I wonder what we'll accomplish in the next few months." Carys smiled warmly at her best friend.

"Only one way to find out. Shall we?" Offered Ezra, gesturing to the Stairs next to them.

Together, they descended.

—**Waypoint—**

To their utmost surprise, they found themselves at a halfway point. The terrain was the same, only the walls were outlined in small pools of water.

"Uh…why is there a waypoint in here? Is there something up ahead?" Frowned Ezra, touching the Kangaskhan Rock just in case.

"I guess. Maybe there's a boss at the end of this place? Or special treasure?" Wondered Carys, sniffing a flower growing on a wall.

"Either way, we're forced to go forward. There's definitely something up ahead, something important enough to garner a waypoint. Let's proceed with caution." Ezra said stoically, wondering what lay ahead of them.

_**I sense a Shard up ahead.** _Voice cut in unexpectedly.

"Voice says there's a Shard up ahead." Reported Ezra.

"Hopefully that's the only thing waiting for us." Carys said darkly.

Bracing themselves for the rest of this colorful dungeon, the two set off.

**Far Secret Valley ( watch?v=OE3EJ7IaFmk)**

**B1F**

"Hey, Stairs right off the bat. Cool." Smiled Carys. The land had now changed from soft earth to soft grass with small pink flowers here and there. The walls remained the same.

"Let's see…We went through ten floors already. That means we have about ten floors left, give or take a floor." Ezra was calculating.

"I'm ready for whatever faces us at the end. Let's be off!" Carys shouted, racing for the Stairs.

**B2F**

They spawned straight into the hands of a Florges and Ivysaur.

"Confuse Florges. I'll take care of Ivysaur." Said Ezra as she dodged a Vine Whip from the Ivysaur.

"On it." Said Carys, nodding, as the two traded blows with their respective enemies.

Ezra managed to hit her foe with a Flame Burst, but oddly it survived the attack and surprised her with a Stun Spore, rendering her paralyzed. As she struggled to move, she was hit with Razor Leaf after Razor Leaf. While they certainly were painful, they weren't enough to do serious damage to her by the time she recovered her mobility. She ended the fight with an Ember, then went to see what Carys was up to.

Carys was busy dodging a Moonblast from the not-confused Florges. She sent out a Razor Leaf, but the Florges easily dodged the attack. Ezra snuck behind it and hit it with Hex, startling it. It whipped around to face her, leaving its back completely exposed to Carys, who took advantage by using Trick-or-Treat. A Night Shade later and it was gone.

"It kept dodging my Confuse Ray." Explained Carys as they got moving.

"Well, it's good to know that the Double-Team Special maneuver still works." Smiled Ezra in response, trying to cheer her friend.

**B3F**

As they were traveling, they came across a chamber that held an Orb they had never seen before.

"What is it?" Asked Carys as Ezra picked it up.

"I don't know. Only one way to find out, I guess." Replied Ezra as she broke the Orb at her feet.

Without warning, there was a deep rumbling sound, then the earth trembled for what seemed like eternity. Finally, it stopped, and the inner walls collapsed, leaving the floor as one entire, giant room. They could see everything: foes, items, and the Stairs.

"Uh…what just happened?" Asked Ezra, breaking the silence.

"I think that was a One-Room Orb. You can see what it does." Carys explained wryly.

"Well, the Stairs are over there. But there was a bunch of enemies heading our way too." Pointed Ezra at the horde of foes rushing towards them.

"I guess this means it's time to run the gauntlet, Ez. Come on! Don't stop running!" Shouted Carys as she began sprinting towards the Stairs, blasting everyone that came near her with Shadow Sneak or Razor Leaf. Ezra sighed and followed.

**B4F**

They spawned with the Stairs again. This time, Carys' joke involved staring at the Stairs intently.

**B5F**

"Ooh. Getting hungry." Said Ezra as they were walking along a corridor.

"We don't have any apples. We ate them all this morning." Winced Carys.

"Ugh, that's alright. I can hold on for a little longer. If we find anything edible, I'll eat it as we go along." Ezra said, putting a hand on her stomach.

They wandered around for a little bit longer when they came to a chamber that miraculously held an apple.

"Yes!" Shouted Ezra triumphantly, racing over to pick it up.

She was walking back towards Carys, intending to offer to split the apple between them, when she felt the telltale dip in the floor that meant she had activated a trap. She looked down to see sludge spray up and onto her precious apple, rendering it into Grimy Food.

She made a face in disgust as Carys caught up to her.

"Wow. Of all the rotten luck." Carys winced, sympathizing with her.

"I'm so hungry. But I don't want to eat this." Said Ezra, unsure of what to do.

"It's still edible. It'll taste nasty and give you a status effect, but it should tide you over for a bit." Carys supplied unhelpfully.

Ezra gulped and braced herself. She took a bite, and promptly gagged on the horrid taste. It tasted like rotten eggs, but she managed to choke down the entire thing. The Grimy Food made her immobilized, it was so awful. Carys stood nearby, wide-eyed. When Ezra had finished and regained mobility, a wracking shudder shook her to her core. She did, however, feel more energized.

"How was—" Carys started to say, but Ezra cut her off.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Silently, they exited the chamber.

**B6F**

They had spawned in a chamber that held a Grass Gummi and a Luminous Orb. Carys generously let Ezra have the Gummi and break the Orb.

**B7F**

"Stairs!" Shouted Carys at the top of her lungs.

"I'm right here!" Yelled Ezra, who was standing right next to Carys. She was sure she had temporary hearing loss.

**B8F**

"Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra, sending the volley of fire onto an enemy onto a Jumpluff, who retaliated with a Mega Drain, which didn't do much. They were busy fighting the enemy in a corridor, and a Bayleef was waiting just behind it. Carys finished Jumpluff off with Shadow Sneak just in time to be hit with Bayleef's Geo Pebble.

"Ow!" She grimaced as Ezra used Hex.

"Do you have any Geo Pebbles of our own?" Ezra asked as she dodged a Tackle.

"No. We're completely out; all we have are three Silver Spikes." Carys shook her head just as Ezra KO'd the Bayleef with Flame Burst.

"we also don't have any more room for those Geo Pebbles." She added.

"What do we have?" Asked Ezra.

"Three Silver Spikes, my Stamina Band, three Shards, two Oran Berries, a Rawst Berry, two Blast Seeds, three Reviver Seeds, a Stun Seed, an Escape Orb, and a Warp Orb." Reported Carys.

"Hmm…I don't think we'll need a Rawst Berry in here. I'll eat it for the energy, and then we'll have room." Pondered Ezra.

"Sounds good to me." Said Carys.

Ezra ate the berry, and put the two remaining Geo Pebbles in the bag.

**B9F**

As they were walking through this floor, they came across a Kecleon Shop.

"Hello, and welcome." He greeted them.

"Hello. Do we need anything?" Asked Carys, the latter part to Ezra.

"Hmm…Oh! I see two apples. I'll eat those, just in case there's a boss up ahead. We'll take those apples." Said Ezra.

"That'll be 50 Poke." The Kecleon replied. Ezra handed over the money, and received the two apples, which she promptly ate right then and there. Immediately, she felt revitalized.

"Thank you." She said.

"No problem. Will that be all?"

"I think so. Have a good day." Said Ezra as they started to leave the area.

"You too." Said the shopkeeper.

**Secret Ravine**

Ezra and Carys found themselves in a lush, colorful garden that was completely open to the sky. Small hills lay in the background, and the surrounding area was filled with tiny flowers. There was crisp breeze, and the temperature was neither too hot nor too cold. Something glittering lay up ahead.

"That must be the Shard. Let's grab it and go." Pointed Ezra as they started walking towards the Shard.

"Halt!" A voice came from out of the blue.

Two figures swooped down from the sky to bar Team Banshee's way. They were so fast, all of this happened in just a few seconds. The two figures were very similar in shape. Both were avian-like and half white, but one was small and red while the other was larger and blue. Each had a triangle on their chest that was the opposite color.

"These two intruders seek to take what we have been entrusted to guard, Sister." Said the blue one.

"Yes. We've received no instructions to move the Bug Plate, so they must be here to steal it from us." Said the red one.

"Please, we need this Shard! We need to return it to its rightful owner." Begged Ezra.

"Ah, so these two are on the side of Light. That makes them out enemies, doesn't it, Brother?" Asked the red Pokemon.

"Yes. It does, Sister. These two thieves must be punished." The blue one nodded.

"Looks like we'll have to fight, Ez." Muttered Carys to Ezra, who nodded.

"Latias, should we annihilate them soon or should we toy with them?" Asked the blue one.

"I think we should at least let them go down fighting, Latios." Latias said.

"Latios and Latias? You two are legendaries! Why are you fighting for the Dark side?" Asked Carys, horrified.

"Being on the side of Light has done us no favors over the years. We've been forgotten, discarded, ignored by most. But now, now we have the chance to obtain great power, and rule over this pathetic, happy-go-lucky land!" Yelled Latios, shaking with rage.

"We'll destroy the Light, right after we destroy you." Agreed Latias.

"In your dreams!" Snarled Ezra, her flame blazing with power.

**Boss Battle!**

"Ezra! Our fire- and grass-type attacks won't hurt them! They're weak to our ghost-type moves; stick with those. I've heard about Latios and Latias. They're superfast, and super powerful. Don't let your guard down." Warned Carys, just as Ezra barely managed to dodge a Zen Headbutt from Latios.

"Ya don't say." Grimaced Ezra as she got back up.

"Trick-or-Treat!" Shouted Carys to Latias, who had no way of dodging the attack.

"Hmph! You won't have the chance to hit me, pipsqueak!" She stormed as a giant ball of mist formed in front of her. She sent the ball straight at Carys, who was sent flying through the air.

"Carys!" Ezra called, just before she was sent flying as well from a pink beam launched from Latios's mouth.

She hit the ground hard, hard enough to create a small hole where she crash-landed. Dazed, she lay there, unable to move. That attack had some serious power behind it! Eventually, she had her wits about her again, and she got up—and ducked just as Latias aimed a Dragon Breath at her face. Feeling the heat of the attack above her, she waited until she was sure the attack had ended. She poked her head above the small trench she had made long enough to send a Hex at Latias, who wailed in pain. Anticipating another attack, Ezra ducked back down as a Dragon Pulse was fired above her.

Suddenly, she felt herself being picked up. She looked to see that, while she was busy trading blows with Latias, she had forgotten entirely about Latios.

"Any last words?" The blue Pokemon asked as he formed a Luster Purge millimeters away from her face.

Just as he was about to unleash the devastating attack, a Geo Pebble hit him in the head. Startled, he dropped Ezra and turned to face his assailant. Carys stood ready, and hurled a Stun Seed at the legendary.

"Ugh!" He grunted, unable to move. Carys turned her captive audience into a ghost-type, and Ezra hit him over and over again with Hex and Night Shade while Carys fended off an enraged Latias. Soon enough, Latios regained mobility, and knocked Ezra out with Psychic. As she revived, she saw Carys KO'd with a Mist Ball from Latias.

The two siblings watched as they were revitalized.

"They came prepared." Observed Latias.

"Yes, they did." Agreed Latios, sounding a bit winded. "But they are still no match for us."

"Did you hear Latios?" Whispered Carys as the four stared each other down.

"Yeah. He sounds tired. Let's focus on him." Ezra whispered back.

"Enough of your whispering! Let's fight!" Snarled Latias as she unleashed a Dragon Pulse. Ezra and Carys combined their Flame Burst and Razor Leaf to counter the attack, creating a small explosion in the middle of the battlefield.

With smoke between the four, Team Banshee ran into the fray, taking advantage of their foes' blindness.

"Confuse Ray!" "Hex!" Shouted Carys and Ezra, aiming where they thought their foes were. But when the smoke cleared, no one was there.

"Nice try." Said Latios just before he and his sister Luster Purged and Mist Balled the two.

As they created more trenches in the ground, the two grimaced and ate their Oran Berries, restoring their health.

"We only have one Reviver Seed left. Let's still try to take out Latios first." Said Carys as used Shadow Sneak on Latios, who dodged.

He unleashed a Dragon Pulse at Ezra, who leapt out of the way. Rolling, she jumped back to her feet and hit him with a Night Shade. Latias dove at Ezra with Zen Headbutt in revenge, but the Shiny Litwick was ready. When the Eon Pokemon was close enough, she ate the Blast Seed she was holding, breathing fire right in Latias's face. The legendary screamed, stopping her attack in order to protect her head.

"Latias!" Shouted her brother. Carys took advantage of his distraction to nail him with Confuse Ray. She then kept using Shadow Sneak over and over, determined to defeat Latios. Unable to determine what was what, Latios attempted to use Luster Purge on Carys—but ended up accidentally hitting Latias, who was trying to Dragon Breath Ezra.

"Ahhh! Latios! What are you doing?!" She shrieked in pain as Ezra and Carys used a Shadow-Hex combo on her brother, defeating him.

"Noooo!" Latias wailed, seeing her brother defeated. A sheer rage then came over the Eon Pokemon, and she threw a Mist Ball at a celebrating Ezra, separating her from Carys.

As Ezra shook her head to clear the pain, she saw Carys try to Confuse Ray Latias, and fail. Latias hit her with Dragon Breath, and prepared a Mist Ball, intending to finish Carys. Despite the ringing in her ears (if she had any), Ezra ran towards Latias, hitting her with Hex.

Latias turned, giving Carys the opportunity to hit her with Confuse Ray. As they had done before, they then hit Latias over and over, as fast as they could. Just when they thought they had her, Latias's head cleared and she flew high into the air, shouting "_Enough!"_

She then dove straight for the ground, making a 90-degree turn at the last second, heading straight at Ezra. Unable to dodge, Ezra was knocked out by Latias's Zen Headbutt. That little display had taken a toll on Latias, though, as that burst of power and speed coupled with the pummeling she had already taken weakened her significantly.

Panting, she paused, allowing Carys to Shadow Sneak her. As Latias cried out in pain from the knockback, she was ultimately defeated by Ezra's Hex. Latias fell to the ground, creating a small crater next to where her brother lay.

Silently, Ezra and Carys came to stand next to each other, looking down at the siblings.

"We…did it." Wheezed Carys, amazed.

"Yeah…" Agreed Ezra. They stood there for a moment before turning back towards the Shard.

"We should leave before they wake up." Said Ezra, picking up the Shard—which gave her visions of bug Pokemon and infestations—and putting it into their bag.

They jogged towards the hills at a moderate pace, exhausted by their fight. A small brook lay at the top of the first hill, and they paused to drink gratefully. Once they had finished, and had climbed to the tallest hill, they saw a sight that lightened their spirits.

"Look! I can see Rose's Lofts!" Cried a jubilant Ezra, pointing.

About ten miles away, the top floor of the Lofts could be seen in the late afternoon sun.

Laughing gaily, they ran down the hills and towards their beloved home.

* * *

They arrived in town just as the sun was beginning to set. After almost two weeks of unwanted adventure, they had finally arrived home. It was strange, though. Lily Town appeared almost foreign to them, having been away from normality for a while. It would take them some time to get used to routine again, to stop having to look over their shoulders for fear of enemies following them.

"Team Banshee's back!" Shouted Hoopa, who had been talking to Jumpluff from the bank before. At his cry, the entire town poured from every building to crowd around the two, asking incessant questions and almost smothering them with hugs.

"Okay, _**OKAY!**_" Franziska's harsh yell rendered the mob silent. "Let them breathe, for crying out loud! They just came back from who knows where!"

"Thank you, Franziska." Said Ezra, grateful to see the surly Dewott again. Rose stepped forward.

"Ezra…Carys…I'm so glad to see that you're okay. We were so worried when Hoopa came back from the north, saying that you two were on the run from a mercenary." She said, giving each a hug that lasted a minute.

"It was a harrowing experience, one that we don't wish to repeat." Said Carys soberly.

Ezra was bracing herself. The time had come to reveal her secret, in front of the entire town.

"We'll answer all of your questions, but…while we were on our way back home….." She trailed off, courage deserting her.

"What? What happened?" Asked Ranna of Team Siren impatiently.

"It's just…" Ezra couldn't say it.

"Just what?" Demanded Franziska.

Ezra took a deep breath, preparing herself.

"I have something I need to tell you all."

**Aaaaaand so we end Chapter 8 with a cliffhanger! On Monday or so we'll begin Chapter 9, which will include some fun revelations and shocking discoveries. I can't wait.**

**The next chapter will contain: The reaction of the town, an unwanted mental intruder**_**,**_** and the confirmation of Sora, Hoopa, and Carys' suspicions.**


	39. Chapter 9 To Light a Candle

** Chapter 9. To Light a Candle**

She hesitated. Everyone was looking at her expectantly, unaware of the bombshell she was about to drop on them. For a brief moment, she considered lying, to tell them something other than the thing she was about to say. But she couldn't. She had promised Voice, and she was not going to let it die because she was afraid of what the others would say.

"While we were coming back from Destiny Ridge, I….I was contacted telepathically by an entity I had never met before." Ezra began. Technically, she wasn't lying. She honestly had never met Voice in the flesh before.

"Really? Why? What did they have to say?" Asked Neal, tilting his head to one side.

"Yeah, what did he or she say?" Piped up Meloetta.

Ezra opened her mouth to speak, but a wave of exhaustion washed over her, and she shook her head tiredly instead.

"They've been on the open road for over a week. As much as I want to hear what Ezra has to say, I think we should let them rest first." Said Rose. Ezra smiled at her gratefully. A warm meal and a chance to relax was exactly what she needed.

"Come inside the Lofts in an hour. I think we'll be more perky then." Carys said to the crowd, who grumbled at the cliffhanger but thankfully understanding.

The residents of the Lofts led the tired pair inside and into the cafeteria, where Franziska ladled hot vegetable soup and fluffy rolls in front of them. After greeting their old friends, Ezra and Carys eagerly scarfed the food down.

"I missed your cooking, Franzy. Apples and berries get tiring after a while." Carys sighed in bliss when they were done, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes in satisfaction.

"It's a wonder you survived." Franziska replied as she collected their dishes, her mouth twitching in what appeared to be the faintest smile.

After the allotted hour was up, the town started filling the cafeteria, as that was the only place large enough to seat everyone.

"Okay, so, you were contacted mentally. What then?" Asked Pelipper impatiently.

"It told me that it was being kept prisoner by the Dark side. It's being tortured and slowly killed as I speak. It had just enough energy to tell me that the Mysterious Shards actually belong to it, and that without them it'll die. So, it tasked me with finding all 13 of them and returning them to it. The only problem is, it doesn't know where the rest of the Shards are, or how we can find its prison. It was hoping that we could all band together and search for answers before it dies." Ezra explained, holding her breath for her audience's reaction.

They were silent for a minute, digesting this new information.

"How do you know this isn't a trick from the Dark?" Asked Noibat from Team Geo, who had finally returned from their soul-search after Ben's kidnapping.

"The leader of the Dark, who also happens to be the Voice's captor, is always addressed as 'Him'. Voice is definitely an 'it'." Answered Ezra.

"'Voice'? Even you don't know its name?" Echoed Ivysaur, looking suspicious.

"To give its name to Ezra would mean its death. Lady Ezra, your Voice is the leader of the Light, isn't it?" Cut in Sora.

"Yes, that's right." She nodded.

"As I had thought. The name of this Voice is a dangerous name to speak in these times. To speak its name would draw _His_ attention, as _He_ still searches for the Light Champion. If Voice spoke its name to Lady Ezra, even telepathically, it would die, along with Ezra, who would have been caught speaking to it. No, it was wise of Voice to remain anonymous for now." Sora explained to the others.

"Carys, what do you think of all this? Surely you believe that Ezra has gone crazy, right?" The green Kecleon Brother said to Carys, who shook her head.

"I heard Voice myself. Ezra's not lying." She said mildly.

"I don't know, this is sounding pretty far-fetched to me. The leader of the Light, contacting a random Litwick? Sounds pretty suspicious if you ask me." Voiced Pancham from the town's dojo. The others murmured amongst each other, agreeing somewhat with Pancham.

Ezra faltered. This was exactly what she was afraid of.

_Voice? Think you could help? I'm losing them._ She thought desperately.

"_Greetings." _Said Voice, from outside Ezra's mind. Everyone, including Ezra (who had honestly not been expecting a response) jumped and looked around wildly, trying to find the source of the voice.

**(AN: Quick note: Listen to this as you read, I think it adds to the experience watch?v=ZVo4jeO-YTQ)**

"Who's there?!" Demanded Franziska, brandishing her twin scalchops.

"_Do not be alarmed. I am Voice. You didn't believe, and so here I am."_

Everyone was speechless.

"Wh-where are you?" Macargo said nervously, looking around.

"_Physically? Far far away from here. I am projecting my voice telepathically from Ezra's mind." _It explained.

_I thought this took way too much energy. _Ezra said mentally.

_**It does. Hurry up, please.** _Voice agreed.

"So…who are you? What do you want?" Asked Hoopa.

"_I am a prisoner of the Dark, and that is all I can say safely. My captors guard the telepathic channels closely for mention of me. But, they are careless sometimes, like right now. They are not closely watching me as they should, but I cannot take any chances. As Ezra told you all, I am in great danger of dying. If I were to perish, the world _will_ be thrown into chaos. The only way to save me is to being me all of my Plates—you call them Mysterious Shards—and bringing them to me in my prison. I am trapped in a dungeon named Celestial Spire. The location is hidden, but I believe there are clues scattered throughout the land, hidden in ancient ruins. You will also need to find an item called a 'Space Globe' in order to reveal the dungeon, as it is hidden from all view. I believe this is also hidden in some decrepit dungeon. You _must_ hurry. I will not last for much longer." _Explained Voice.

"Well, if it's obscure treasure you need, then me and my team are just the ones to find it! But, I have just one question: Why did you contact Ezra, of all Pokemon?" Asked Meloetta, confused.

"_Because…"_ Voice trailed off, and Ezra could sense an inner turmoil coming from it.

"_Because she is my Champion."_

"_**WHAT?!**_" Everyone shouted, with Ezra the loudest.

"Ezzie's the Light Champion?!" Demanded Roman of the Bravo Specials.

"No! That's impossible!" Protested Ezra at the same time Carys and Hoopa cheered, "Totally knew it!"

"As I had hypothesized." Mused Sora.

"Wait. You three _knew_?" Demanded Ezra, almost screaming at the three. She _couldn't_ be the Chosen One! She couldn't!

"Uxie and I spoke extensively about you when he was in town. We agreed that, given my sister's divinations some weeks ago, that you were the Chosen One." Sora explained tonelessly.

"Mr. Uxie told me about you, too, when I took them to my home!" Beamed Hoopa, jumping up and down in joy. Ezra turned to Carys.

"I had my suspicions after Voice spoke to us yesterday. The leader of the Light chose to speak to you, a human from another world. Since we know about Formora, it all made sense to me." Carys shrugged, smiling.

"_It is true, Ezra. I did indeed chose you. I—oh no." _Voice's voice suddenly sounded worried.

"What's wrong?" Asked Glace.

"_He's coming. I wasn't careful enough. I should have left soone—_AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ezra _felt _Voice's pain. It was like she was experiencing all of the pain felt by everybody who has ever suffered. She screamed at the top of her lungs, but she could only voice a sliver of the agony she was experiencing right now. Eons later, it finally ebbed, and she felt Voice fade from her head, only to be replaced by a painful, malicious presence.

"_So._" It, no, _he_, said aloud, from outside Ezra's mind. _"I finally caught it speaking to outsiders. Heh, it was only a matter of time."_ The cacophony that was his voice was giving Ezra a major headache. This new presence wasn't at all gentle like Voice.

"Turn towards the wall, so he can't see us and learn of us!" Hissed Meloetta. Baffled, Ezra did as she said.

"_Ah, there are others with you, dear Champion of Light? For over two months I have searched for you, for any mention of you. But there was no trace to be found! I was starting to wonder if you even existed, that my precious captive had made you up. But here you are. You've no idea how happy I am to meet you, Champion. Although I see that my forces have not caught you just yet, for you are not in our prisons. Well, let me make myself clear: I _will_ find you, and you will ended by Formora." _The voice said.

"Who…who are you?" Ezra demanded, staring at the wall.

"_You don't know? My, how ignorant. My captive should be ashamed to have you for its Champion. I, dear Champion, am the leader of the dark side. And who are _you_?" _He purred back.

Ezra gasped in fright. She was talking to _Him! _She swallowed hard, thinking quickly. "Who I am isn't important. What is important is that you tell me where you are, so I can defeat you and restore the Light!" She said vehemently.

"_I think not, little Shiny Champion. If you'd be so kind as to tell me your location, I would be happy to collect you and bring you to my Chosen." _

"Ezra's not going anywhere! And how'd you know she's Shiny?" Asked Carys.

"'_Ezra'? That is your name? Hm, I see. Interesting. I knew she was Shiny, unknown enemy, because I overheard my captive say that its Champion would be identified by its Shiny color. Why do you think I've been kidnapping Shiny Pokemon lately? But that is not important. I have things I must attend to, like ripping another Plate from my captive as punishment for speaking to you. Dear Ezra, I await our future audience."_ _He_ said as he withdrew from Ezra's mind.

She blinked and shook her head, trying to clear the ringing in her ears (if she had any) from _His_ awful voice.

"That was….unexpected." Rose said mildly.

"You sure accepted your identity real quick." Observed Meloetta.

"I didn't." Said Ezra, holding her aching head in her hands. "But I couldn't let _Him_ think that I had just learned of it. _He'd_ take advantage for sure, and that could prove to be our downfall. Honestly, I still don't accept that I'm the Light's Chosen. But Voice said it, so I guess it's true. I only wish I knew why." She sighed, sitting down in a chair.

"You're kind." Said Carys.

"You give others hope." Added Caine.

"You're not afraid to stand up for others." Said Hoopa.

"Alright, I get it. That still doesn't make it any easier." Ezra said, biting her lip.

"Accept it or not, you'll lead us to victory, Ezra, somehow." Said Rose.

"Or I might not!" Yelled Ezra, tears coming to her eye. "There's also a real good chance that I will die at the hands of Formora, who will surely take her sweet sweet time in killing me."

"Wait, what?" Asked Mercury.

"Ez…" Carys started towards her, but Ezra shook her off.

"Leave me alone!" She shouted, getting up and racing to their old room.

She slammed the door shut and flopped on her old bed, crying. She didn't ask to be the savior, the one who in all likelihood will die and fail and disappoint everyone. She had wanted to know why she was brought to this world, but now that she finally knew, she wanted to be ignorant once more.

_Ignorance is indeed bliss._ She thought bitterly, wiping away her tears. _Why me? Why turn me into a tiny little Litwick and pit me against a giant evil army? What could I do that would change the world? I'm just one person! I don't have any special abilities, or some secret weapon to defeat the Dark side. Why why why?! _

She laid her head back down and sobbed.

* * *

She must have fallen asleep, for when she awoke, the sun was just starting to hint at rising. She rose unsteadily, brushing a twig of straw that must have been stuck to her face as her tears dried. She felt dead inside, almost as if everyone expected her to do a glorious task that she was in no way qualified to do.

"Ezra?" She heard Carys stir beside her. She waited until her friend was awake.

"Hey." Ezra said curtly, staring out of the window. Carys sat next to her and watched the sky with her for a while.

"I told the others our story after you left." She said after a moment. "You know, heroism comes in many forms. You might not actively have to fight the Dark. Maybe the catalyst depends on a decision you make, or a word you say. And besides, I won't let Formora or Team Renegade hurt you. You know that. I can't imagine how you're feeling right now, but like it or not, you've been chosen to be our savior. I know you can do it. You agreed to rescue Voice in no time flat when it asked you. Well, we're doing the same. We're asking you to rescue Voice and win the war. We believe in you, Ez. _I _believe in you. Do you remember the day we met, when I was close to giving up after Formora hit me with those Powder Snows? You told me to believe in myself. You gave me a reason to keep fighting. And now, it's time for you to believe in yourself."

Ezra thought for a moment. What Carys was saying was true. Like it or not, she was going to either live or die no matter what she did. She may as well go down fighting.

_Maybe you'll even succeed,_ a small internal voice said.

"I think I'm going to sleep on it. Will you wake me when it's time for breakfast?" Asked Ezra as she lay back down on her bed.

"Of course." Carys nodded.

"Carys?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

**The next post will contain: A happier Ezra, a job, and the return of a certain all-female team.**


	40. Chapter 40

"Ez? It's time for breakfast." Ezra felt Carys nudge her even through the haze of sleep.

Groggily, she rose from the throes of slumber, yawning and rubbing her eye. It felt like she had slept for days, instead of only a few short hours. She didn't mind, though. Oddly, but thankfully, she felt much better about last night's revelation and subsequent conversation with the leader of the Dark. Her soul felt a bit lighter than it did last night, and she was even looking forward to catching up with the others at breakfast. However, a part of her still dreaded the task that lay ahead. Like it or not, she was meant to either change the world or die trying. And with Voice close to death, she knew that she couldn't hope for the final battle to be years away. Still, the world was counting on her. She'd try to be the best Champion as she could be.

"Good morning." She said to Carys, who was watching nearby.

"Morning." Carys responded, smiling.

"Thanks for….you know. What you said last night. I don't like being the Champion of Light, but I'm not one for letting people down." Ezra said, pausing by the door.

"No. You're not." Agreed Carys as the two went to breakfast.

In celebration of the duo's return home, Franziska had made pancakes in the shape of a Litwick and Pumpkaboo, drizzled in maple syrup and accompanied with fresh raspberries. It was awkward at first for Ezra, after her breakdown last night, but the others seemed to understand and didn't mention it. They did, however, ooh and aah over Ezra's newly heightened status. She told them what she had told Carys just minutes before, but that didn't stop them from looking at her like she had saved an entire orphanage from burning down.

The residents had changed somewhat as they had been gone. The current residents were: Rose and her employees, Team Siren, the Bravo Specials, Team Geo, and Team Rogue. Mercury, the Noivern from the Specials, explained somewhat dolefully that they were only staying a week, as they were needed more and more across the land.

"As the Dark grows bolder, so do the criminals. I fear we'll be run ragged if this keeps up." He had sighed wistfully.

"I don't know how I feel about eating this pancake. It feels kinda like cannibalization." Said Carys to Ezra, nodding at her Pumpkaboo pancakes. Ezra laughed merrily.

"I bet the Vanillite family or the Swirlix family feel the same way when they eat ice cream or cotton candy, respectively." She grinned.

"…I guess so. I wonder what's gotten into Franzy? Last I knew, she wasn't—" Carys was interrupted by a hearty guffaw coming from the head of the opposite table.

Glace and Meloetta were having what looked to be an animated conversation together. Glace was saying something to Meloetta, whose grin was stretched all the way across her face. She said something back to Glace, and the normally-reserved Glaceon laughed merrily.

"…Anyway. What should we do today?" Asked Carys, turning back to Ezra.

"Hmm….To be honest, I kind of want to do a job. Maybe I've just gotten used to extensive travelling, but I'm feeling rather restless. I say we do one quick job today and then we can soak in a hot spring tomorrow. What do you say?" Ezra offered.

"That sounds like a wonderful plan! I think the Specials know where the closest spring is; I'll ask them after breakfast." Carys agreed.

* * *

When the two had finished their welcome-back meal, the first thing they did was head to Kangaskhan Storage and swap out the items they had acquired over their journey for fresh supplies. The four Shards they had found were lying next to the other two in their room, which had been left untouched since they had fled the north. Next, they visited Jumpluff at her bank, and deposited a whopping 10, 349 Poke. Finally, they went back to the Lofts to look for a job. To their surprise, Team Siren was waiting for them.

"After you two went on the run, Hoopa told us that you were looking for a certain item to give to Neal, Carys." Ranna greeted them.

"Knowing that it was a very rare and valuable item, we decided we would help you out." Dyrim continued.

"It took us a while, but we finally tracked down a Petal Dress for you. So, here you are!" Meloetta smiled, handing Carys a light pink shawl. Her eyes grew as wide as Wailmers.

"I….I…." She stumbled. She looked up at them, tears in her eyes. "Thank you." She said simply. The trio gave her a quick hug.

"Don't mention it. Those are near impossible to find, even for seasoned explorers like us." Explained Ranna.

"How can I ever repay you?" Carys asked, holding the dress close.

"Well….if you ever hear anything about an item called the Golden Mask, let us know. That's our next mark, and it's proving to be a tricky one." Sighed Meloetta.

"Will do." Vowed Carys as the trio went back upstairs.

"I'm glad you've got your item for Neal. You wanted it to repay him for years of kindness, right?" Recalled Ezra.

"Yes, that's right. He let me live with him for a long time. …I'll give this to him tonight. But for now, let's pick a job while the day's still young." Said Carys, putting the Petal Dress away.

They scoured the Bulletin Boards for a job that wouldn't take too long. After their long journey, they wanted to take it easy for a while. Eventually, they found a post asking for an escort through Serene Desert. The client was a Pachirisu, who would pay 500 Poke upon completion. Tucking the post away, the two set off for the desert.

**Serene Desert ( watch?v=0GuYenWfB_4)**

When they arrived, they saw their client nervously pacing back and forth in front of the dungeon.

"Hello!" Called Carys, accidentally making the poor Pokemon jump in fright.

"Dialga's diamonds, you scared me!" He chastised.

"Sorry about that. We're here to escort you through the dungeon." Said Ezra.

"O-oh…Well, um, I-I'm Pachirisu. I lost a bet, so I have to traverse this dungeon, which is full of ground-types." He sighed, looking worriedly at the dungeon.

"I'm Ezra, and this is Carys. We'll we done before you know it, I promise." Assured Ezra. Pachirisu looked at her doubtfully.

"I'd rather we not have to do this at all. Ugh, let's just get this over with." Grimaced Pachirisu as he nervously followed the duo into the dungeon.

**1F**

"Stairs right off the bat! Woo-hoo!" Cheered Carys as she sprinted for them.

"She's….energetic." Observed Pachirisu as he and Ezra watched Carys.

"Indeed." Agreed Ezra.

**2F**

"Will all floors be like that?" Pachirisu asked timidly.

"Unfortunately, no. On most floors, such as this one, we'll have to explore until we find them. That's the fun of being an exploration team!" Explained Carys, grinning.

"It might be fun to you, but I could never do things like this. It's too…scary." Shuddered Pachirisu.

"Nonsense! Being part of an exploration team is the best thing that's happened to me!" Declared a beaming Carys.

Pachirisu _hmm_ed but otherwise said nothing.

**3F**

Pachirisu was just starting to relax when they came across two Trapinch in a corridor.

"AAAAEEEEIIIIIIIII!" He screamed, cowering behind Carys, the fur on his neck fluffing up.

"Relax! We can knock them out easily—watch!" Exclaimed Ezra as she one-shotted the first Trapinch with a Hex. One more and they were free from enemies.

"We've trained a bunch since we last came here. The Pokemon in here stand no chance against us. You're safe." Reassured Ezra at the terrified Pachirisu, who was shaking in fear.

"I-I r-r-_really_ don't l-like gr-ground t-t-types." He whimpered sadly as the fur on the back of his neck slowly fell.

"I understand. You just sit behind me or Carys when we're fighting and you'll be just fine." Nodded Ezra.

**4F**

"By the way, you never specified what floor you wanted us to take you to." Said Ezra as they were walking through the floor.

"The ninth floor. My friends all thought I'd be too Torchicken to make it that far. And they'd be right, if it weren't for you two." Replied their client.

"Ninth floor it is!" Laughed Carys.

"Do you know what's at the end of this dungeon, by any chance?" Inquired Pachirisu after a few minutes.

"Yep. A Shiny Reuniclus named Sola lives at the end. She's a seer." Explained Ezra, nodding.

"A…_Shiny_ Reuniclus? Oh. I hope she's okay. A lot of Shiny Pokemon have gone missing lately. Hopefully your friend hasn't been taken as well." Said Pachirisu, rubbing his paws together nervously as he looked behind him for foes.

Ezra exchanged a worried glance with Carys. They now knew that the real reason Shiny Pokemon had been taken was so that the Dark could find Ezra, knowing that the Light Champion was Shiny.

"Well…she's a seer, like I said, so presumably she would have Saw any danger towards her." Ezra said, more for herself than for their client.

"If you say so." Said Pachirisu, sounding equally nervous.

**5F**

"Hurry up! They're almost on me!" Wailed Pachirisu as Ezra fought a Cacnea. It had dodged her first Flame Burst and hit her with Leech Seed. Thinking fast, she used her flame to ignite the vines ensnaring her. Crackling, the vines died and fell off of her, freeing her. She KO'd the Cacnea with an Ember and turned back to her client.

"There." She said mildly.

Soon, though, they came across another Cacnea. As Ezra was tangling with it, she heard their client scream once more. Rolling her eyes, she called back, "Hold on! I'm almost done!"

"Get out of the way!" She heard Carys yell. Risking a glance behind her, Ezra turned to see a Sandshrew had come up from behind them. Pachirisu was in the line of fire, but he was too petrified to move.

"Pachirisu! Move, or you'll be hit!" Ezra shouted just as she was hit by Needle Arm from her own foe. Growling, she defeated it with a Flame Burst.

She spun around, intending to move Pachirisu out of the way manually. Carys seemed to have the same idea, and as the two dove for their client, the Sandshrew used Magnitude on him, KOing him instantly and making Ezra gasp in pain. Before he could revive, Carys launched a Razor Leaf at the Sandshrew, defeating it. Pachirisu revived a nanosecond later.

"What…what happened?" He asked, astounded.

"You fainted." Ezra said wryly, eating an Oran Berry. That Magnitude had hurt!

"O-Oh….I'm sorry." He apologized, bowing low.

"Just…Be careful next time, okay? When we say move, move!" Sighed Carys.

**6F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"Whaaaa! Why is there _sand?!"_ Sputtered Pachirisu, spitting sand out of his mouth.

"It's a desert. Sandstorms happen. Come on, we need to find the Stairs before the sand gets to us." Said Ezra, looking around for an exit. Ah! There was one on the southern wall of the chamber.

"Before it…gets to us?" Repeated Pachirisu timidly.

"Yep. The sand hurts us, and we need to find the Staits before we succumb to the damage." Explained Carys.

"I never knew dungeon exploring could be so dangerous." He said nervously.

**7F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"Ughhhhhhh, more sa-ack! *cough* *cough*"Pachirisu had groaned, then choked, as another sandstorm brewed.

"We're almost there, though." Ezra said encouragingly.

After they had been exploring for a while, they came across a Luminous Orb in a _humungous _chamber with multiple exits.

"What does it do?" Asked Pachirisu curiously.

"They tell you where everything is located on this floor; enemies, items, us, and the Stairs. You break it, and it gives you the floor layout in your mind. Watch." Explained Ezra as she broke the Orb.

She turned towards the northeastern corridor in the freakishly-large room.

"That way." She said confidently.

**8F**

"Oh! The Stairs are here with us! Come on, the next floor is the 9th floor! I'll finally be free!" Exclaimed Pachirisu, unexpectedly bolting for the Stairs.

**9F**

"Okay! 9th floor! I am _done_ with this place!" Pachirisu threw himself onto the ground in glee. "Thank you for taking me. I wouldn't have been able to go by myself."

"No prob. See you in Lily Town!" Smiled Carys as Pachirisu was beamed out of the dungeon.

"I had forgotten what it felt like to do good. I missed that warm fuzzy feeling. Ah well, let's go back home, Ez." Carys commented as they beamed themselves out.

**Lily Town**

"Thank you for escorting me through the dungeon, even after all the trouble I caused." Pachirisu said back at the Lofts. He bowed his head and rubbed his foot in the dirt.

"It's all right. At least now you can tell your friends you completed your task." Ezra smiled.

"That's so. Well, I gotta go. Here's your money. Thanks again!" He said as he walked out.

"Bye bye!" Called Carys.

"Well, that was an interesting trip. Oh! I've gotta give Neal his gift! I'll be right back!" Carys exclaimed as she grabbed the Petal Dress from their bag and raced out of the building.

Ezra shook her head in amusement and headed upstairs, where she could hear voices. When she arrived, she gasped to see Chrysi, Trina, and Milana of Team Valkyrie sitting in front of the fireplace, along with everyone else. Hearing her, the trio looked over and grinned widely.

"Ezra! It's good to see you again!" Beamed Chrysi, coming over to give her a hug.

"Same! It's been so long. How are you?" Ezra hugged her back, smiling. She had liked the trio of women quite well.

"We're doing just fine. Journeyed the land, took down some outlaws, and discovered ourselves. It was pretty awesome." Trina smiled, coming over to shake Ezra's hand.

"Where's Carys? Don't tell me she quit Team Banshee." Milana, the third member, said as she looked past Ezra.

"She's busy with an errand. She'll be right back." Ezra responded.

"Ah, I see. Did you guys ever find Ben?" Asked Chrysi softly. Ezra bowed her head and said nothing.

"I had feared that would be the case..." Chrysi said sadly. Everyone in the room was silent for a moment, thinking about their lost friend. Teams Geo and Valkyrie had left shortly after his disappearance, each claiming to need some time alone to think.

"Well, I'm glad no one else has gotten hurt. Well, except for you and Carys. Rose told us about your trip up north, and what a disaster that was. That must've been a scary journey." Milana shuddered.

"It was. We were almost starting to think we'd never see you all again, but luckily we got everything sorted out." Ezra nodded.

"What's going on?" Asked a voice. Ezra turned to find Glace and Caine behind her on the steps to the lower floor. She moved out of the way so they could pass.

"Hello Glace and Caine. This is Team Valkyrie. Valkyrie, this is Team Rogue." Introduced Ezra.

"Hiya! My name is Chrysanthemum, but call me Chrysi for short!" Beamed the spunky Lilligant.

"Trina." Nodded the burly Nidorina.

"Name's Milana." Greeted the solemn Vespiquen.

"Hello. I'm Glace, and this is Caine." Glace nodded in greeting.

"Chrysi's also Rose's sister." Ivysaur told the two.

"Really? But…" Caine looked at Rose and Chrysi, obviously confused.

"Haha! I was adopted into Rosie's family, who are all Leavannys." Explained Chrysi, laughing.

"Yo, Glace!" Called Roman, raising a hand in greeting. "Been meaning to ask ya, are you free this weekend by any chance?"

Glace's face instantly fell. "No." She muttered, then stalked out of the room and into her own. Meloetta followed her.

Carys arrived in the middle of the awkward silence.

"Did I miss something…?" She asked. Then she noticed the newcomers. "Team Valkyrie!"

"Carys!" They all chorused, hugging her.

"How'd Neal like the Petal Dress?" Asked Ezra once the greetings were exchanged again.

"He loved it. He's having Hoopa make me an entire kilometer of cherry licorice in thanks." She smiled widely.

"Cherry licorice? Why?"

"It's my favorite type of candy."

"I didn't know you had narrowed it down to just one."

"I don't, but I didn't want him to make me a kilometer in _everything_, ya know?"

"Ah."

**The next post will contain: A reward, a day at the springs, and ****very ****suspicious activity.**


	41. Chapter 41

"So, what are you two up to today?" Trina asked casually the next day at breakfast.

"Well, after our awful trip last week, we decided we would take a few days off and relax. Today, we're going to the hot springs a few miles from here." Explained Ezra, looking up from her cereal.

"Huh! As it so happens, we three and Rosie are planning to take a dip in the springs today as well. We can have a girl's day out!" Beamed Chrysi.

"That sounds like fun! We can play Torchicken and Marco Polo and have breath-holding contests and—"

"Okay, Miss Floatzel, settle down there. You're a bit too loud for eight in the morning." Ezra interrupted Carys, putting a hand over her friend's mouth. The entire room was staring at the three, startled by Carys' loud exclamation.

"Oops. Hehe, sorry." Carys said, floating downward a tad and blushing from embarrassment.

Team Valkyrie and Ezra laughed merrily.

* * *

Just as the six were gearing up to leave, Pelipper raced into the commons room.

"Team Banshee! Oh, thank goodness I caught you before you left! I received a message from the Exploration Federation. Due to your diligent work as explorers, you've gone up a rank! You two are now Silver-Ranked explorers, and you may now hold up to 32 items in your bag! They've sent you two Reviver Seeds, a Ginseng, a Sitrus Berry, and a Violent Seed. Congrats!" He grinned widely, trading their Bronze Rank badges for Silver Rank ones and handing them the respective items.

"Ohhh! Awesome!" Exclaimed Carys, accepting the new gear.

"Sweet!" Smiled Ezra, pleased, marveling at her shiny new badge.

"Nice job, you two! Keep up the good work!" Rose said, patting the two on the back.

"Thanks, Pelipper!" Team Banshee chorused.

"No problem! Well, I have to get back to the registration desk. I'll see you guys later!" He said as he headed back downstairs.

Shortly after that, Rose, Chrysi, Trina, Milana, Ezra, and Carys set out for the hot springs.

* * *

The springs turned out to be a few short miles from the mountain range separating Lily Town from Destiny Ridge. There was one main pool that was surrounded by smaller ponds. Steam rose faintly above the entire setup, and the surface of the water bubbled steadily. A kind Growlithe was the tenant in charge, but he was the only one around.

"Hello, and welcome! My name is Growlithe." He greeted, seemingly happy at having customers. He was seated atop a small boulder, but rose as he saw the six.

"Hiya! Are the springs still hot as ever?" Greeted Chrysi right back, waving an arm.

"Oh, Team Valkyrie! I haven't seen you three in a while. Yes, the springs are still hot. Business has been slow lately, is all. Come, don't be shy!" He invited, nodding down to the water at his feet.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Shouted Carys, running and diving into the water. She surfaced just a moment later, screaming, "HOOOOOOOOOOOOT!" She then lowered herself slowly back into the water, letting her body get used to the sudden increase in temperature little by little.

The others laughed, and carefully got into the largest pool. Ezra stayed near the shallow end, taking care to keep her flame above the water. The water was piping hot, but nothing she couldn't endure. It reminded her of her dip in the lava in Rumbling Volcano. The others converged beside her, propping their arms onto the edge of the pool and letting their lower bodies drift in the water.

"Ahh….can we do this every day?" Asked Carys, sounding content.

"Alas, no. We all have important work to do, especially where the Dark is concerned." Sighed Rose, shaking her head.

"We can relax today, however. We can worry about evil tomorrow." Murmured Milana, making patterns in the water with her fingers.

The six were silent for a time, and then they turned to light conversation topics such as exploring, Team Banshee's rank upgrade, and other mundane topics. Rose and Chrysi claimed that their great-great-grandmother founded Lily Town.

"A Leavanny by the name of Lily came to inherit an old building in the middle of nowhere. She fixed it up as an inn, and her reputation grew and spread as weary exploration teams came to stay the night. They were so impressed by her hospitality that it wasn't uncommon for them to return again and again to her inn. Eventually, business owners were drawn to the area, knowing that there was a large clientele they could cater to, and boy did business flourish! Soon, a small town came to grow around Lily's Inn and the various shops set up around the building. Since Lily was the one who started it all, the town named itself after her. The original building burned down shortly after Lily died, but Rose's Lofts stands exactly where Lily's Inn once stood, and is modeled after it. And that, friends, is how Lily Town came to be." Rose had explained.

"As a tribute to Great-great-grandma, all of her descendants are named after flowers." Chrysi had chimed in.

The story was fascinating to Ezra, and she could easily imagine a town coming into existence around a popular inn.

Soon, the conversation drifted to the other residents.

"By the way, what was up with that Glaceon last night? She sounded as if Roman had asked her to jump off a cliff." Asked Milana, shifting her weight onto one shoulder.

"Poor Glace always seems to draw the attention of men's eyes. She and Caine arrived here only a couple weeks ago, and ever since then she turns rooms silent whenever she walks in. I can tell she's quite uncomfortable with all of the attention, not that I can blame her. I'd hate it myself if I were known for my looks instead of my service to exploration teams." Rose explained sadly. "I'm glad she's found a close friend in Meloetta, who surely knows a lot about unwanted attention." She added.

"Hmm, Meloetta hasn't left Glace's side ever since we've gotten here. Maybe…Nah, forget it. Anyway, I wonder if Roman's still looking for a date this weekend…?" Trina mused mischievously, glancing at everyone through lowered eyes and with a wicked smile.

"Go for it!" Laughed Chrysi, playfully splashing water onto her friend.

"You sure?" Trina asked, suddenly getting cold feet.

"_Yes._" Everyone said firmly.

"Ooh, alright. I'll ask when we get home." Trina replied, sounding somewhat nervous.

After that, everyone minus Ezra and Milana waded into the deeper end of the pool in order to play games.

"Why aren't you joining them?" Milana inquired of Ezra, who pointed at her flame.

"I don't want this to go out. It feels….unnatural, like having a missing limb." She explained. "You?"

"I can't let my wings get wet, otherwise I can't fly." Milana explained.

"Ah."

And so the two watched the others splash around in the water. They played a few games of Torchicken. Trina climbed on top of Chrysi and Carys hovered close to Rose's shoulders. Since Carys didn't have arms, Trina won all three rounds. Then the four played Marco Polo. The highlight of that was Chrysi stealthily climbing out of the water, sneaking around to where Rose—who was currently seeking—was, and cannonballing almost on top of her sister.

"_Chrysanthemum!_" Rose roared at the top of her lungs, grabbing Chrysi and dunking the guffawing Lilligant under the water.

"Don't drown her! We need her!" Called Milana to Rose, who was busy grappling with Chrysi.

Milana wasn't serious, though. They all could see that Rose wasn't truly angry. Indeed, by the time Rose and Chrysi's wrestling match was over, both of them were laughing in between gasps for breath. Ezra found herself grinning widely, awed by the bond the two sisters shared. It was similar to the bond she shared with Carys. It was astounding, she thought, that blood had nothing to do with family. By the time the six decided to head home, she found herself still wearing that same grin.

Feeling very much relaxed and ready to tackle the next day, Ezra felt good about the future for the first time in a long while. She could defeat the Dark, if it would mean she got to have more days like today.

Sleep came quite easily that night, as she had no inhibitions to keep her awake for once. It felt like she had slept for a decade as she was woken by the sound of a door opening.

* * *

Yawning, Ezra blinked the sleep out of her eye and looked outside. She was startled awake when she saw that it was the middle of the night. Carys was snoring softly beside her, and there was not a trace of sound in the halls. Yet she could have sworn she heard a door open.

Peeking outside, she found the halls clear. However, the door to Team Rogue's room was wide open, when all the other doors were closed. Confused, Ezra walked into the commons room, stifling a yawn, only to catch a glimpse of someone's tail as the owner headed down the ladder. Not wanting to be seen, Ezra waited cautiously by the window facing town so she could see who it was. A few seconds later, she found that it was Glace, who was acting nervous. The Glaceon kept looking behind her, and the sound of a Zubat screeching overhead made her jump guiltily with fright.

Curiosity got the better of Ezra, and she stealthily snuck outside and hid behind Neal's dessert shop. Glancing around the corner, she saw Glace leave Lily Town.

_I wonder what Glace is doing at this hour…? She seems nervous about something. Maybe about being followed? Hm. I'd better make sure she's okay, but she'd never forgive me for following her. I'll have to make sure she doesn't see me._ Ezra thought, extinguishing her flame. She shuddered as she lost the familiar warm sensation on top of her head, but it was necessary. A bright blue flame at this hour would be as obvious as a Mightyena in a flock of Mareep.

Resolving herself for a long night, Ezra began tailing Glace. She made sure to keep Glace at the edge of her sights at all times, to lessen the chance of being heard or seen by her target. She also made sure to hide behind whatever she could while she following Glace. Glace seemed positive that she wasn't being followed, as she had stopped looking behind her every two seconds.

About ten miles away from Lily Town, Glace stopped at the entrance to an unfamiliar dungeon on a rocky section of western coastline.

_Please don't tell me Glace is going in there…_Ezra groaned. She had not thought to bring the bag with her. She was not at all prepared for dungeon exploration, and she had a sneaking suspicion that it would be filled with water-types. To her dismay, Glace entered the dungeon. After waiting a few minutes to ensure that the dungeon reset itself, Ezra reluctantly entered the dungeon as well.

**Sunset Beach ( watch?v=OYb5A1Yvhro)**

**1F**

To her dismay, it did indeed have water-types. She had spawned in a sandy area along with a Krabby. The good thing was that she could reignite her flame for the time being.

"Can you be nice, please?" She begged of the foe. It ignored her and hit her with a Bubble attack.

Grunting, she returned the favor with a Night Shade. The Krabby stumbled, but did not fall. It shook its head and threw a Mud Shot at her. Ezra tried to dodge, but was too slow and was grazed by the attack. Even so, it hurt. Scowling, she ended it with a Hex.

With the foe defeated, she sighed and looked around. The ground was made out of fine sand, and the walls were made of coral, in a shade Ezra couldn't tell if it was pink or orange. It seemed to be a nice place overall, but the scenery didn't explain why Glace was here in the middle of the night. Ezra bit her lip, worried. She was afraid of what she would find at the end of this dungeon.

**2F**

She was nonchalantly walking down a corridor when a Water Pulse from behind caused her to fall to the ground. Confused and annoyed, she found a Tentacool a few paces behind her.

"Oh, a wise guy, eh? Night Shade!" She stormed, sending red pulses onto the foe. It quivered and used Poison Jab, making Ezra gasp in pain. The Tentacool tried to follow up with Constrict, but Ezra KO'd it with Hex as it came closer to her.

"Looks like you're all washed up." She smirked at it.

The dungeon shuddered at the awful pun. On 5F, a traveler stood rigid, anticipating a cave in. At the end of the dungeon, a Pokemon looked around, confused as to what caused the unexpected quake.

**3F**

As she spawned, she noticed that the Stairs were in the same room as her. She waited patiently for Carys to make a joke, but then she remembered she came alone. Lowering her head, Ezra wished fervently that she had woken Carys up, for many reasons other than supplies.

**4F**

"Aaaaaand, Hex!" Ezra shouted, finishing a fight with a Gastrodon. The stubborn thing had kept Mud Bombing her, forcing her to go on the defensive. As it fainted, a familiar seed dropped to the ground.

"Reviver Seed!" Exclaimed Ezra, immediately snatching it up and holding it close to her chest.

After making sure that there were no more enemies in the corridor, she held the seed out.

"I kinda wish you were an Oran Berry right now, but I'll take what I can get." She sighed, hissing in pain as she moved on.

**5F**

"Would you guys _stop _already?!" Demanded Ezra as she dodged yet another Wing Attack from the two Pelipper blocking her way in a chamber. The Wing Attacks weren't as bad as the Brines, but nevertheless they were enough to make her see stars. She managed to knock one out with a Hex, leaving her with just a single enemy left.

"I prefer the Lily Town Pelipper to you." She informed it.

Seemingly unperturbed, it hit her with a Hydro Pump, sending her flying across the chamber until the wall broke her flight. As her double-vision cleared, she painfully picked herself up. She knew she couldn't endure another hit, but neither could the Pelipper, whom she had hit before. Tensing herself, she watched as the Pelipper, sensing a victory, drew closer. It loomed over her, preparing another Hydro Pump. Just before it launched the attack, Ezra unleashed a Hex laden with all of her might. As one might, the foe did not stand a chance. Panting, Ezra gave a cocky grin before setting out to find an Oran Berry.

**6F**

As she entered a room, she spotted a Luminous Orb sitting on the ground. Grinning, she used it. It turns out that the Stairs were located in the next chamber over.

**7F**

_Stairs, _she thought, noticing them. Clutching her precious Reviver Seed close, she made her way over to them. As she walked, she set off a Trip Trap, making her fall flat on her face and drop her Seed.

_Ergh…stupid trap…_she grumbled, turning her head to glare at the trap. Sighing in annoyance, she got up, picked up her Seed, and headed back toward the Stairs.

**8F**

It took her a while, but she eventually found the next set of Stairs. Unfortunately for her, though, they were guarded by a Carracosta. Groaning internally at the fight that lay before her, she began the brawl with a Night Shade, which the foe easily dodged. Using its momentum, it hit her squarely in the face with an Aqua Tail, knocking the breath out of her and sending her back a few paces. Trying to recover, she launched a Night Shade, which was fortunately successful.

Now furious, the Carracosta balled itself up, and threw itself at her. Knowing that another hit would surely knock her out, Ezra dove out of the way of the Rollout, then sent a Hex after it. Her attack ended the Rollout, and the Carracosta used Rain Dance, obviously intending to knock her out with a bang. Not wanting that to happen, Ezra hit it with a Night Shade, ignoring the hisses of displeasure coming from her flame as rain landed on it.

She watched carefully as the Carracosta geared up for a devastating attack. As it unleashed an ultra-powerful Hydro Pump, Ezra flattened herself onto the ground, feeling the power and intensity of the torrent just _centimeters_ from her head. The Carracosta, weakened by the output of energy, easily fell to one more Hex.

**9F**

Ezra was surprised when she came to a Kecleon Shop.

"Evening, miss. How may I help you?" The shopkeeper inquired politely.

"Hello. Um…" Ezra quickly checked to see how much Poke she had acquired so far. "What do you have for 352 Poke or less?"

"Hmm….I have a Luminous Orb and Foe-Fear Orb for 150 each. Other than that you're outta luck." He responded.

"I'll take the Luminous Orb. Thanks." She nodded as the goods were exchanged. Immediately, she used it.

"By the way, do you know how long this dungeon is?" She asked.

"I believe it is 20 floors." The shopkeeper answered.

"Thanks." Ezra nodded.

**10F**

In the middle of her wandering, Ezra's stomach began growling.

"Uh oh…Ugh, what a time to not have the bag with me." She sighed, quickly entering a chamber in the hopes that she'll find some food.

She found a See-Trap Orb and a sleeping Tentacruel, but no food. Trying to quell her growing concern, she raced to the next chamber, but again, there was no food to be found. Ezra walked through the entire floor—ignoring the Stairs when she found them—but found not a single thing to eat. By this time, she was starting to feel dizzy, and her vision was beginning to double. Very concerned, she headed back to the chamber with the Stairs and hoped she would be luckier on the next floor.

**11F**

As she spawned, Ezra's vision grew hazier and hazier, and her head was spinning something fierce. Her stomach felt like it was trying to burst from her abdomen, and it was all she could do to put one foot forward without falling. Luckily, the Stairs were here. As she wandered over to where the Stairs were, she felt her strength fail her with each step.

_I have to….to find something to eat….before I faint…._The thought managed to circumnavigate the haze in her head and make its way to her mind.

She looked at the Reviver Seed in her hand, debating on whether or not to eat it. Ultimately, she decided to wait and see what waited for her on the next floor.

**12F**

She collapsed as soon as she spawned. Glancing around the room, her hazy vision cleared for just a moment when she saw the first apple she had seen in this place. Her mouth watered, and she tried to get up, but her strength failed her. She tried again, but found she could not stand. Determined to get to the apple, she resolved herself to _crawl_ to it. She wanted that apple, and she was going to get it by any means necessary.

It was a long, slow, and arduous process, but finally Ezra managed to drag herself to the precious apple. She grasped it just as her vision completely failed her. Using the last of her strength, she thrust the apple into her mouth and took a bite. As she swallowed, it was like a light switch had been flipped. Immediately, energy coursed through her, and she eagerly finished the rest of the apple in only five bites.

"Wow, what's _in_ this thing?" She wondered aloud, looking at the remains of the fruit she had just eaten. Normal apples didn't pack _this _much energy, but dungeon apples seemed to be a breed of their own.

"I'm actually…kinda glad that no one was here to witness the last two floors. Hopefully this dungeon will end before I go through all that again." She sighed as she discarded the apple core and set off to explore the floor.

**13F**

Ezra was pleasantly surprised by spawning with Stairs.

**14F**

There was a Pelipper in the way in the corridor Ezra was currently walking through. Behind that foe was a Tentacool. From the exhaustion of little sleep coupled with the fighting she had already done, Ezra was in no mood to fight. She clumsily shot off a Hex, but the attack went wide and missed the Pelipper completely. Taking advantage, the Pelipper hit her with Brine. She tried to counter with a Night Shade, but the foe easily dodged. Ezra succumbed to a Hydro Pump, and fainted.

Luckily, though, she was still holding her precious Reviver Seed. As she was revitalized, energy coursed through her, and she felt like she could take on the world. The Pelipper and Tentacool faltered, seeing the change in her. Now eager to fight again, Ezra quickly finished the Pelipper with two Night Shades, and the Tentacool fell with one Hex.

**15F**

In retrospect, she was glad she had fainted. The seed had given her new energy that would definitely last until she got back home, if the dungeon wasn't too much longer. Although, she felt a bit vulnerable, being without protection. If she fainted, she would have to do this all over again. As she was reveling in her wakefulness, she didn't notice she had entered a Monster House until she had bumped into a Carracosta. Broken out of her reverie, she noticed two Carracosta, three Tentacruel, a Tentacool, and four Pelipper looking at her, eager for blood. Ezra grinned faintly. She was up for a fight, but not an entire Monster House.

As luck would have it, the Stairs were in this room too, along with a Blue Gummi. She got a plan. Ezra turned, and ran straight out of the room, all ten foes chasing after her.

"Nopenopenopenopenopenopenopenopenope!" She screamed. Finally, when she was sure all of the enemies were out of the room, she dove into the walls, past the foes, and into the now-empty chamber.

Chuckling to herself, she ate the Blue Gummi—which still tasted like watermelon—and ascended the Stairs.

**16F**

As she was walking along the edge of a chamber, she encountered a Poison Trap.

"Seriously?" She asked it, pointing to a Pecha Berry on the other side of the room.

**17F**

She spawned with a Kingler this time, as opposed to a Krabby like she did on 1F.

It started the fight with a Crabhammer, dashing Ezra to the ground. Not missing a beat, she hit it with a Hex while she was getting back to her feet. She extended her Night Shade, but the Kingler dodged and attacked with Stomp. While it was enough to make her wince, it wasn't overly effective. Trying again, she sent out a Night Shade, and succeeded this time. Oddly, the Kingler still stood. No matter. She could deal with that. She deftly sidestepped as the Kingler tried to land another Crabhammer, and finished the fight with a Hex.

**18F**

"Stairs! Yay! I missed you!" Gushed Ezra as she saw that she had arrived on the floor with the Stairs. "…How does Carys do it?" She sighed a moment later, dearly missing her friend.

**19F**

This floor wasn't too strenuous. Miraculously, the Stairs were in the next chamber over, and Ezra encountered no foes.

**20F**

At long last, she found the Stairs. As she was walking towards it, a Gust Trap sent her flying into one of the pools of water adorning the edges of the room, and warped her away.

"Seriously?" She sighed as she found herself in another room. She made her way back to the chamber, where a Trip Trap made her fall.

"Really?" She demanded. She took a step, and a Poison Trap punctured her.

"Enough!" She howled, running to the Stairs before anything else could happen to her.

**Sunset Beach Cliff**

After twenty solo floors, she had finally arrived at the end of the dungeon. It was still nighttime, so she couldn't quite see everything. The best she could make out was a cliff surrounded by boulders that seemed to overlook the ocean. There were two Pokemon ahead, seated at the cliff. They seemed to be looking at the ocean. Ezra hid behind a boulder and listened, extinguishing her flame again.

"…Have to hurt other Pokemon. I don't know if I could do what you do, Formora." She heard Glace say. She did a double-take. Did she hear Glace correctly.

"You don't have to. There are many different jobs needed in the Dark. Some of us gather supplies, others gather intelligence, and more others work at the compound as functionaries. I won't lie, there are those of us—myself included—who serve pain to others, but if you don't want to do that, then you don't have to. We're an organization, Glace. An organization dedicated to righting wrongs. You and I, we've had injustices dealt to us time and time again. With what I do, I help those like us give the privileged and entitled a taste of what we have endured. Why should other Pokemon have soft, easy existences while we've had to deal with poverty and betrayal our entire lives?" Ezra's heart skipped a beat, then ran ice cold as she heard the Champion of Darkness Formora answer Glace.

She felt a momentary panic rise within her, which quickly gave way to an irrational thought to confront the two right here now. She was just about to do it when her brain caught up with her.

_You're outnumbered, Ezra. If you confront them now, Formora will no doubt unleash all her fury on Lily Town. Glace had to have told her where she and I live. What has Glace told Formora? And why? How long have these meetings been going on? Is Glace secretly a Dark spy? But…it doesn't sound like Glace is a member; not yet anyway. What has she told Formora? Has she told her that I'm the Light Champion?_ Ezra felt a stab of fear at that chilling thought. _I need to tell the others, but Glace will surely try to discredit me. I need more witnesses; that's the only way I'll be credited. But how will I manage that…?_ Ezra returned to the conversation, hoping that Formora will schedule another meeting. To her delight, she did.

"It's getting late; I need to get back to the fortress. You think about what I've said, Glace. I'll see you here tomorrow at the usual time?"

"Sure, that'll work." Answered Glace, sounding thoughtful.

"Excellent. I look forward to your answer." Said Formora, sounding satisfied.

There was the sound of movement, and Ezra flattened herself against the boulder, angling herself so that she would hopefully not be seen as the two walked past. Fortunately, neither woman saw her as they exited.

Although Ezra was bursting with adrenaline, she made herself wait an hour before she dared go back home.

She entered town just as the sun was hinting at rising. She tiptoed into the Lofts and up the Stairs. She dared not breathe as she moved silently past Glace and Caine's room and into her own.

She knew she would not get any more sleep tonight, so she settled on listening to Carys' soft snore and thinking hard about what she had heard, and what needed to be done.

**Glace is wavering, and she knows dangerous information about Ezra. How will the heroes proceed? Will Ezra manage to convince the others? Will Glace turn Dark, or will she remain loyal to the Light? Can I stop asking rhetorical questions? (probably not)**

**The next post will contain: More Sunset Beach, and a horrifying answer.**


	42. Chapter 42

Ezra couldn't bear to look at Glace at breakfast. How could she, after all that she had heard last night? How could she look Glace in the eye and act as if the conserved Glaceon was on their side?

Helloooo? Earth to Ezra?" Carys interjected, cutting into her thoughts. "Do you want syrup or not?" Ezra looked down, and saw that Carys was offering her syrup for her waffles.

"Uh…sure." She said, although she didn't have much of an appetite.

"You okay?" Carys asked.

"Yeah, I…..Let's do an easy job today, okay? I'm still a bit tired from our trip." Ezra suggested. She needed to get Carys alone so she could tell her what had happened. She needed someone who would back her up if she was ever going to confront Glace.

"Uh, okay. Sounds good." Carys shrugged.

After breakfast, Ezra spotted Ledian delivering a package to Ivysaur, who went into his office downstairs to open it. Getting an idea, she went over to the perky deliveryman.

"Hey, Ledian?" She greeted, looking around to make sure they were alone in the commons room. Everyone was busy with morning chores or job-searching. Meloetta and Glace were chatting at the window, oblivious to everything around them.

"Hm? Oh! Hi, Ezra! Long time no see! How are ya?" He flashed a cheerful grin at her.

"Listen, can you do me a huge favor?" She asked, keeping her voice low. Ledian seemed to understand that something serious was going on, and he fluttered close to her.

"Yeah. What's up?" He asked, concerned.

"At about ten o'clock this evening, could you return to this area and tell me and Carys that a client told you that a Shard was located in Parched Plains? I can't explain why right now, but it's very important." She told him, a pleading look in her eye.

"You want me to give you a fake letter? Sure, I can do that. I'm curious to know why, but I respect your privacy. I assume you also want me to tell no one of this?" He inquired. Ezra nodded.

"Okay, will do. I'll see you then. Toodles!" He said as he flew out of the building. It was perfect timing, as Carys came up the Stairs, looking for Ezra.

"Hey, I found a rescue mission in Joyful Forest. Would that work?" She asked Ezra.

"That'll be just fine." She agreed.

**Joyful Forest** **( watch?v=24duVgnER2s)**

"Ho-kay, the client is a Magikarp who claims he the enemies are too tough for him. We need to rescue him, as you probably thought. He's on the second floor, and will give us 100 Poke upon completion." Stated Carys as she read the post.

"Sounds good. Let's do it." Nodded Ezra.

**B1F**

"Listen, Carys, I need to tell you something." Ezra said, turning to face her friend.

"What is it?" Carys smiled at her.

"There's….no easy way to say this, but….Last night, I saw Glace talking to Formora." Ezra admitted, forcing the abrasive words out of her.

"What?" Carys responded, utterly confused.

"Yeah. I woke up to her leaving the building. I followed her to a dungeon on the coast, and I saw her chatting with Formora." Ezra explained.

"…..That's….quite a dream you had there." Carys said after a moment.

"What? Carys, I didn't dream any of that! It's true!" Ezra protested, horrified. Her own best friend didn't believe her?

"Ez, it's not nice to make up lies about other Pokemon. What did Glace ever do to you?" Carys asked.

"She didn't do anything! I swear I saw her last night!" Ezra said vehemently.

"Okay then….do you have any proof?" Carys asked, unconvinced.

"Well….no. I don't." Ezra drooped. If Carys wouldn't come willingly to the coastal dungeon, then it was a good thing she had Ledian give her an excuse to get Carys out of the Lofts.

"Alright. Ez, I think the hot spring melted your brain a little bit. Glace has done nothing suspicious while we've been home, and she definitely would have been booted out if she did. Come on, let's just complete the mission. I think you had a vivid dream is all." Carys smiled soothingly at her crestfallen friend.

Ezra let herself be led to the Stairs, plotting.

**B2F**

_Ping_! went their badges, alerting them that they had arrived at the designated floor. Their client was right in here with in this room, fortunately.

"Oh _thank you!_ I tried and tried, but they're too tough for me!" He cried when he saw them.

"Don't worry, you're safe now. See you at the Lofts." Comforted Carys as she beamed the client out of the dungeon. The duo then beamed themselves out.

* * *

**Lily Town**

"Thank you for rescuing me! Here's the 100 Poke, as promised." The Magikarp said, handing over the money. "Farewell!"

"Bye!" Called Carys as he left.

"Well! Another job well done." She said, turning back to Ezra with a smile.

"Yeah. Hey, I didn't get much sleep last night. I'm going to go take a nap. Would you wake me when it's dinnertime?" Asked Ezra, forcing a smile onto her face.

"Of course!" Nodded Carys, relieved that Ezra had stopped her conspiracy theories.

"Thanks. Oh, and could you not tell Glace about my dream? It's really embarrassing." Ezra made herself put on an embarrassed smile. In reality, she felt grim, grim about the task that lay ahead.

"Haha, sure thing! Don't worry, Glace won't know a thing." Carys laughed.

"You're the best. Well, goodnight." Said Ezra as she went to go lie down for a few hours.

Carys woke her some time later, and she managed to put on a normal front during dinner. After that, she waited impatiently for the clock to turn ten.

* * *

When the time finally came, Ezra prepared herself for the lie she had to tell her dearest friend.

"Hey! Team Banshee!" Cried Ledian, opening a window and flying into the commons room. Everyone was getting ready to go to bed.

"What's up?" Asked Carys.

"I've been asking around for news on Mysterious Shards, and a client just told me that she thought there was one in Parched Plains!" He exclaimed. Ezra was impressed. Ledian certainly sounded convincing.

"What? We need to go and get it immediately!" She gasped.

"Heck yeah! Thanks, Ledian!" Beamed Carys to Ledian, who saluted and flew away.

"We should be back in a few hours. Don't wait up for us." Ezra said casually to the others as Carys put on their bag.

"Safe travels." Smiled Glace. Ezra didn't—_couldn't—_answer as the two raced out of the Lofts and into the wilderness.

"Woo! Parched Plains, here we come!" Cheered Carys as they left the town.

"Actually, can we stop somewhere first? It won't take long." Asked Ezra.

"Uh…sure?" Carys was very confused, but let Ezra lead her to the southwestern coast.

Eventually, they came to a dungeon in front of a rocky coastline.

"What's this?" Asked Carys, looking around.

"Ledian lied about the Shard. I had to get you out here. This is the place I saw Glace speak to Formora in. They're supposed to be meeting 'at the usual time', which has to be around midnight. It's only 20 floors, so we should get there before they do. But we still need to hurry!" Ezra explained, tugging Carys towards the entrance.

"_What_?!" Carys shrieked, and pulled away.

"There's nothing out here? Come on, Ezra! Enough with the theories! I'm going back home." She glared, and started walking back the way they came.

"Oh no you _don't_!" Ezra said desperately as she grabbed Carys and hurled herself into the dungeon.

**Sunset Beach ( watch?v=OYb5A1Yvhro)**

**1F**

Like it was yesterday, the ground was made of sand, and Ezra still couldn't decide if the coral walls were orange or pink.

"…Whoa….This place is gorgeous!" Marveled Carys, looking around.

"Come on, we need to get to the end, and fast! I don't know how long Glace and Formora's meeting will be, and I _need_ you to see it." Ezra said impatiently, tugging at her friend.

"Ezra…Just because Glace might have went on a midnight stroll last night doesn't mean she's evil. I mean, if she and Formora were friends, then why hasn't anything bad come for us ever since Voice revealed you're the Light Champion? I really do think that you sleepwalked here, then dreamed the rest of it." Carys dismissed, shaking her head.

"Okay then…Humor me. Let's go to the end, and see what we find. If nothing's there, then I'll admit that I was wrong. But _when_ we find Glace and Formora, you'll have no choice but to believe me." Ezra offered, crossing her arms and frowning.

"Deal." Carys nodded.

**2F**

"See, even the dungeon wants us to move along! It gave us Stairs!" Ezra pointed out, seeing that they had spawned with Stairs.

"That doesn't mean a thing, and you know it." Carys dismissed.

**3F**

The first foe they encountered on this floor was a Carracosta.

"Noooo, I hate these guys!" Groaned Ezra, recalling last night's slugfest.

"You remember your battles in your dream last night? Wow, I can never remember any of mine." Carys commented as she launched a Razor Leaf at the enemy.

"I'm telling you, I didn't dream or sleepwalk anything!" Ezra protested as she dodged a Hydro Pump and ended the fight with a Hex. Now that she had Carys with her, they could two-shot tough foes. If she had come alone again, it would have taken her many attacks and many beats to the face before she would have taken it down.

**4F**

Instead of spawning with Stairs, they spawned with a Kingler and Tentacruel. Wordlessly, Ezra moved behind Carys, only coming out to fire a Night Shade at the enemy. As they dispatched the enemies, a Growl came from the northern exit. They turned to see a Wingull enter the room.

Glancing at each other in amusement, Carys easily took it down with a Razor Leaf. Even though she didn't believe Ezra, it still felt nice to have a teammate by her side again.

**5F**

Ezra was trying to take on a Pelipper. They were in a corridor, which left little room to maneuver in. The Pelipper dove at her with a Wing Attack, and she was forced to take it. Not missing a beat, the foe followed up with a Hydro Pump, KOing her.

She revitalized just in time to take yet another Wing Attack to the face.

"Ezra!" Exclaimed Carys in horror. The Pumpkaboo used Shadow Sneak, and Ezra finished it off with a Hex.

"Thanks for that. I forgot a lot of the foes here know Hydro Pump." Ezra winced as they got moving.

"Sure." Carys agreed in a tone that meant she highly doubted Ezra was telling the truth.

**6F**

"Hello, delivery services? I'm still looking for my Stair—oh wait here they are." Carys laughed.

"As much as I love your jokes, this isn't quite the time for them." Ezra frowned.

"Sorry."

**7F**

"Question, Carys." Said Ezra as they were walking through a room.

"Hmm?"

"You believed me when I told you about Voice. Why don't you believe me now?"

Carys was silent for a few minutes.

"I already had my suspicions that you were the Light Champion when you told me about Voice. It made a lot of sense, and actively hearing Voice myself made for a convincing argument. But with this Glace thing…We may have been gone for a week and a half, but I haven't noticed anything suspicious about her before or after our journey. She seems to have befriended Meloetta, who's smart enough to catch on if something's up. I dunno, it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Why would Glace go Dark? Caine's certainly not the type to do evil either. However, you do seem awfully certain, and you do know a lot about this dungeon…" She trailed off.

Soon, a Pelipper came to harass them as they entered the next chamber.

"Night-Leaf combo?" Suggested Carys as they geared for a fight.

"Sure." Ezra shrugged reluctantly.

**8F**

Carys was leading the party when all of a sudden she let out a gasp and ducked, leaving a startled Ezra to take a Hydro Pump to the face.

"Arrwaghhhh!" She sputtered, choking as she was flung from the brawl. When she landed, she spent a solid three minutes coughing up water. By the time Carys had finished the fight, Ezra's throat felt like it was about to crack into pieces, and her body was bruised all over.

"Sorry about that. I panicked." Carys said sheepishly as she gave Ezra an Oran Berry. Ezra ate the berry, then walked over to a nearby pool of water. She knelt down, drank a few mouthfuls of water, then returned to where Carys stood.

"Warn me next time, will you?!" Was all she had to say.

**9F**

Much to Ezra's surprise, they came across a Kecleon Shop.

"Greetings, travelers." The shopkeeper nodded.

"Wait…I came across a Kecleon Shop on the ninth floor yesterday too! Do you remember me at all? I bought a Luminous Orb." Ezra asked, excited.

The Kecleon peered closely at her, but shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry. I don't recall encountering a Shiny Litwick yesterday. I was stationed on 13F last night, in Dungeon Floor Plan #5,386. Perhaps you came across one of my many cousins? I do believe one of them was located on 9F in Dungeon Floor Plan #312 late last night. That might have been him instead." The Kecleon said.

"I guess it was a different Kecleon." Ezra sighed.

"I keep telling you, there's no way Glace would betray us like that. I seriously think you dreamed it all." Carys told her. Ezra shot her an annoyed look before turning back to the Kecleon.

"Do you have any Luminous Orbs or One-Room Orbs?" She asked.

"Let's see…I have two Luminous Orbs, but no One-Room Orbs. The total will be 300 Poke." He said after a minute.

"We only have 295." Carys said unhappily.

"Well…I don't think we'll need the Rainy Orb. Let's sell that." Suggested Ezra.

"Alrighty, if you say so. Here you are." Carys said, the latter part to Kecleon, who gave them 25 Poke in exchange along with the two Orbs.

"Thank you. Have a nice day. Or rather, evening." He said to them.

"You too." They chorused as they left the chamber. They decided they would save the Orbs in case they came across a labyrinthine floor.

**10F**

"We have Stairs." Carys observed.

**11F**

As fate would have it, they discovered that this floor was a labyrinth. Not wanting to deal with the hassle of giant confusing floors, the two decided to use one of their Luminous Orbs.

**12F**

"Stairs!" The two chorused at the same time.

**13F**

"Oi, I'm glad I have you with me this time." Ezra sighed in relief as she ate an apple.

"How so?" Asked Carys innocently, obviously humoring her. Ezra glared and continued.

"You may have noticed, but food is scarce here. Last night I was _literally_ just about to faint from hunger when I finally found an apple. I was dizzy, and my vision started to fade. It took all my strength to drag myself to it and take a bite. It's something I'd rather not experience again." She shuddered, remembering.

"Did you now? …Oh hey, a Krabby wants to play with us." Said Carys as a Krabby entered the chamber they were in.

"You deal with it. I'm busy." Ezra ordered, still eating her apple.

"Yes ma'am." Carys said sarcastically.

**14F**

After a grueling floor of Carracostas, Kinglers, and Tentacruels, the duo finally made it to the Stairs. But as Ezra was walking to them, she activated a Warp Trap.

"Seriouslllyyyyyyy?!" She demanded as she was teleported away.

She waited, grumbling angrily to herself, while Carys ascended for them.

**15F**

She found herself standing right next to a Kingler, who looked as startled as she felt.

"Ah!" She shrieked, flinching backwards into Carys, who was unaware of what lay nearby.

They crashed into a pile, and were promptly separated by a Mud Shot from the Kingler. This, however, was its second mistake. The first mistake was thinking it could defeat the duo. The impact of the attack sent them flying in opposite directions, so that the three altogether created a lopsided triangle. Now the Kingler had to decide which foe it would tackle first. It unwisely chose Carys (third mistake), and turned its back on Ezra (fourth mistake). As Carys kept it busy, Ezra surprised it with a Hex to the back. The Kingler turned to knock her down, but ultimately fell to Carys' Razor Leaf.

"The Double Team Special never fails." Carys grinned.

**16F**

"We have Stairs. Stairs are nice." Grinned Carys.

**17F**

They came across a chamber that held a sleeping Carracosta. Ezra was tiptoeing by it when Carys had the bright idea to wake it up with Razor Leaf.

Startled out of its sleep, the Prototurtle Pokemon angrily shot a Hydro Pump at Carys. It was easy for her to dodge, as she didn't have to do anything. The foe was so tired that the attack went way wide, missing Carys by seven yards. She dispatched it with one more Razor Leaf, then turned to face a glaring Ezra.

"What? I defeated it, didn't I?" She asked. Ezra sighed and moved along.

**18F**

By this time, Ezra was getting very antsy. She was worried that Glace or Formora might not have gotten at the end yet, and all of this would have been for nothing. She merely followed Carys around the floor, lost in her own misgivings.

She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice Carys had stopped, and subsequently bumped into her.

"Ouch! Sorry. What's up?" Ezra asked, coming back to the present. She looked around for foes, but oddly found none.

"Look, Ez! A Blue Gummi!" Carys laughed, floating around the mentioned object.

"Oh. Is that all?" She dismissed, walking towards the exit.

"What do you mean 'is that all'? You have a love/hate relationship with these things!" Protested Carys, very much bewildered by the uncharacteristic behavior.

"I don't have time go get caught up in them. Come on! I'm worried we'll miss them!" Ezra exclaimed impatiently from across the room, beckoning Carys to follow.

Carys frowned in confusion but followed, a small doubt starting to creep into her skull.

**19F**

They came across another labyrinthine floor. Wordlessly, they broke their remaining Luminous Orb.

**20F**

"Woo! Last floor is an easy floor!" Laughed Carys, noticing the Stairs.

**Sunset Beach Cliff**

Ezra entered the cliff cautiously, alert for any signs of life. But as she scanned the area, she found none. They were alone.

"Hah! I knew it!" Gloated Carys, bouncing in the air. "I knew there was no way we had a traitor in our midst!"

"Don't get too excited we might have come early. We should hide." Warned Ezra, nervously looking at the entrance to the dungeon. Adrenaline was starting to course through her. It probably was the fear of being discovered.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Check out this killer view!" Carys exclaimed, coming to float above the edge of the cliff. Ezra opened her mouth to protest, then closed it. Sighing, she came to join Carys.

The view was indeed stunning. Below them, the waves from the ocean lapped lazily in the moonlight. A couple Illumise and Volbeat flittered majestically over the water, and there was not a single thing to protrude from the ocean. They could see for miles and miles. Seeing as how the dungeon was named 'Sunset Beach', Ezra could only imagine what the scene would look like at sunset. Dimly, she recalled the Bravo Specials talking about their love of the view at the allotted time. That was weeks ago. A strange calm entered Ezra, and she marveled at how much she had accomplished in almost a month and a half. She was still mesmerized from the view when Carys nudged her.

"I hear someone! We need to hide!" She said, sounding startled and somewhat curious.

"Huh? Oh! Uh…where? There's no time to run back to the boulders!" Ezra exclaimed as she was broken out of her trance.

"…I have an idea. Jump on my back, and hang on as tight as you can!" Carys ordered.

"Wha—"

"Do it!" Carys hissed, interrupting Ezra. Bemused, she gingerly climbed onto her friend's back.

It was difficult hanging on, and Carys let out a small gasp as she took on Ezra's weight. But she prevailed and carefully floated over the edge. Slowly, she dropped down, enough so that they could only be seen by someone peering over the edge and yet not so far that they wouldn't be able to hear any conversation.

"Keep your mouth _shut_, no matter what." Ezra whispered to Carys, who nodded. Now, all they could do was wait and see what happened.

There was silence for a moment, then a sigh that was definitely female, although Ezra couldn't tell if it belonged to Glace or Formora. After that, no other voices rose. The only sound came from the waves, which were endlessly crashing upon the beach below. It was like that for about half an hour. Finally, when Ezra was just beginning to think she imagined the sigh, voices arose from above.

"Glad to see you made it." She clearly heard Formora's voice ring out in the night. Underneath her, she felt Carys flinch violently, and Ezra had to tug on of Carys' ruffles to remind her not to say anything.

"I wouldn't miss our meetings for the world." Carys flinched even harder when she heard Glace's voice.

"So, have you thought about my question?" Asked Formora, sounding nervous.

"I have." Answered Glace confidently.

"And?" Formora sounded impatient.

"The answer is…yes. I will join the Dark side."

Ezra had to bite down hard on her arm to keep from screaming. Meanwhile, Carys was rocking violently, threatening to launch Ezra into the ocean a mile below.

"You've made the right choice, Glace. Listen, I have to return home. Something came up. Meet me here at sunset tomorrow, and I'll bring you a transport to the compound. Would that work for you?" Formora was asking.

"Yeah, sure."

"Great! Farewell for now, Glace. I look forward to working with you." Formora's voice grew fainter until it stopped completely. There was the sound of footsteps leaving the vicinity, then all was silent once more.

"Stay here for….an hour….in case they're still….here…" Ezra whispered, trying to keep her voice at a quiet volume. It was hard, when she wanted to wail and wail about the events that just transpired. How _could_ Glace do such a heinous thing? How could she betray everyone? _Why_ would she betray everyone…? Ezra felt tears come to her eyes. She didn't know Glace terribly well, but the thought of someone she knew willingly choose to turn traitor made her heart ache dully.

It was difficult, but the two managed to remain silent for the allotted hour. When time was up, Carys peeked over the edge of the cliff.

"Clear…" Ezra said in a dull monotone. Carys landed on the cliff, and Ezra got down from her back. Then, without warning, she burst into tears.

"I'm sorry." Carys was saying beside her, clearly distraught. "I should have believed you. Why didn't I believe you? You're my best friend! Stupid, stupid, stupid…."

"No…" Ezra sniffed, holding back her tears. "I don't blame you. No one could ever imagine one of our number going rogue. …Team Rogue. I get it now."

"What are we going to do? We have to confront Glace, and stop her from leaving with Formora tomorrow." Asked Carys.

Ezra stood up, wiped away her tears, and looked Carys in the eye.

"Don't worry. I have a plan."

**I am really starting to hate Sunset Beach, but I'm not finished with it yet. Sigh. **

**The next post shall contain: Even **_**MORE**_** Sunset Beach (ugh), and the big confrontation. Oh boy.**


	43. Chapter 43

"Once we get home, let's pretend nothing's happened. We'll go about our day as usual, and then when Glace starts to leave, we'll casually ask if we can come with her. Formora said to meet at sunset, so everyone will be around when she leaves. Glace will probably say no, so we'll hound her until she either confesses or, if she's too stubborn, we confront her. Then…I guess we'll have someone escort her to a place where she won't be in a potential position to hurt anyone. I highly doubt Caine has any idea what Glace is doing, so he can go free. With Glace out of the way, we can all march to Sunset Beach and arrest Formora once and for all. Without their Champion, the Dark should be weakened. How severely, I'm not sure." Ezra was saying as the duo headed back home. The night was chilly, despite it being summer. Perhaps it too was chilled by the things that transpired only a scant hour ago.

"That sounds good, but…what exactly will we charge Glace with? I mean, she hasn't exactly done anything wrong—not yet at least—so what then? For all we know, she could be conducting a sting operation to catch Formora herself!" Carys responded.

"I haven't thought about either of those things. Hmm…I guess maybe a traitor charge could do, although I'm not sure if going from Light to Dark would be applicable. I guess we'll just have to wing that one. As for the sting operation….If that's true, then I guess all we can do if offer support. Maybe we could draw Formora out by using me, the Light Champion, as bait? I don't know." Ezra admitted honestly.

Soon, they arrived home, where sleep did not come easy that night.

* * *

The next day, tired and apprehensive about their plan for the evening, Team Banshee tried their hardest to act like their normal selves. They joked around with their friends during breakfast, tried not to cringe in sympathy for Meloetta when she announced she and Glace were spending the day at the hot springs, and rescued a Primeape in Dappled Pond. Glace had asked them how their search for the nonexistent Shard went, and it was all Ezra could do to keep her voice nonchalant as she replied that the lead turned out to be false.

That evening, after dinner, it was all they could do to keep themselves still and not fidget while they were playing cards in the commons room with everyone. Ezra couldn't concentrate on the game, and kept asking Carys if she had any 3's. Needless to say, she lost that game. Eventually, it was time.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I have to quit the game. I have an, uh, errand I need to run. It'll probably take me a while, so don't wait up for me." Glace said unexpectedly as she rose from her seat.

"Oh, let me join you! It'll be fun." Beamed Meloetta, also rising.

"Yeah! The more the merrier!" Chimed Carys, laughing.

"Ah, no, that's okay. I'd rather go alone." Glace said quickly, shaking her head.

"Aww, why not? We've never done anything fun together. It's about time we did." Ezra smiled, but on the inside she felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest.

"Maybe another time. I really have to go now." Glace started to turn towards the stairs.

"Why can't we come with you? It's only shopping and item storing, right?" Ezra called, thinking fast. She had to get Glace to either confess or let them come with her.

"Yeah, Glace. You know I can't stand it when you're gone." Caine agreed, getting up to come stand beside her.

"No, I'm not doing stuff in town. I'm….uh…I'm visiting an old friend of mine. She lives on the south eastern coast. We've been friends for years. She's probably wondering where I am, so I should _really_ get going." Glace was starting to look visibly nervous.

_Good_, thought Ezra.

"You've never mentioned an old friend to me before. In fact, you've never told me about leaving town this evening as well." Commented Meloetta, looking confused.

"Haven't I…?" Glace squeaked, running out of explanations.

"What's her name? We've spent a lot of time on that part of the continent; maybe we know her?" Asked Chrysi, smiling.

Glace remained silent, but she was clearly sweating now.

"Glace?" Prompted Trina.

Still she did not speak.

"…Your friend's name is Formora, isn't it?" Asked Ezra, seeing an opportunity.

"How did you know that?" Gasped Glace, without thinking, as the others turned to stare at Ezra in shock. Then they turned to Glace, who realized her mistake.

"Uh…what? Glace, what's going on?" Asked Ivysaur.

"Glace here has been conducting secret meetings with Formora. Last night she decided she would join the Dark, and the real reason why she needs to leave is so she can depart for the Dark HQ!" Accused Ezra, pointing a hand at Glace. (she didn't exactly have fingers, so…)

"Ezra! What a thing to say!" Exclaimed Rose, horrified.

"Carys and I saw her with Formora last night! And the night before that, I caught her as well!" Declared Ezra.

"It's true!" Agreed Carys.

Their audience turned to look at Glace, who had a look of pure terror on her face.

"Glace—"Milana began, but Meloetta cut her off.

"Tell me they're lying! Tell me you did no such thing!" She demanded, tears coming to her eyes.

Glace looked around for a second and seemed to come to a decision.

"No, they're telling the truth. Formora offered me a chance to join the Dark side, and I'm accepting." She confirmed.

Ezra felt herself swell with triumph. It was all over for the would-be traitor! A smug grin spread across her face.

"Why? We're your friends, Glace. Are we so bad?" Asked Roman gently.

"When all you do is ask me for dates and blatantly stare at my face all day long? Yes, you are. And it's not just you, Chesnaught. It's _all_ of the men in here. Ever since I came here it's been 'look how pretty Glace is!' and 'are you free for dinner?'. _I'm sick of it!_ I'm sick of always being remembered for my face! My accomplishments are always ignored; I'm valued time and time again for only my looks. And when my feats _are_ recognized, they're quickly ground to dust. It's enough to make a girl _scream_." Glace snapped, the fur on the back of her neck standing straight up.

"You all have no idea what a complete _nightmare_ my life has been! Ever since I was born, people have always ignored my accomplishments. They figure that a face this pretty can't possibly have anything going on in her head. It's infuriating! Do you guys remember the Mount Titan fiasco a couple years back, where Heatran lost his Magma Stone? Yeah, I stopped that freakin' volcano from erupting. But was I recognized for it? _No!_ Instead, I was forced into keeping quiet about it. I've tried to turn a new leaf and take a shot at becoming an explorer, but clearly I'm not going to be recognized for _that. _And I'm _still_ stuck with this complete moron over here!" Glace nodded at Caine. "This _idiot_ who has abandonment issues and can't seem to realize I don't love him. But I was a fool and made a deal with someone, so now I have to lug him around wherever I go when I'd much rather dropkick him into the nearest Beedrill nest. I've endured _so much_ over the years…I've reached my breaking point. And then….then I met Formora, who understands what it's like to be ignored and alone. She told me how joining the Dark was the best thing that's happened to her. She told me she went from a street child to the second-in-command over the entire Dark army! She's quite happy now, and I believe that I can finally be happy too if I join her. It's just….I want to be remembered for something other than how pretty I am. That's it. That's my life's goal. But as I've been finding out, being a good little girl isn't going to accomplish that. I guess if I ever want to achieve my dream, I need to start doing things differently, beginning with switching sides. I'm sorry, but I can't take any more of this charade." Over the course of her rant, Glace went from furious to sorrowful. She drew herself into a sitting position, head bowed and tears coming to her eyes.

"What…..what about…us…?" Whispered Meloetta, tears streaming down her face. Glace sighed heavily, looking worn.

"You made the same mistake every male here has made. It was all a façade on my part. I was only trying to get information from you. You're a legendary, and Formora was hoping you had some info as to the whereabouts of a certain life-giving fairy-type. I'm sorry." She admitted, looking sadly at Meloetta.

"So…..none of it was real?" Meloetta asked, a dull note in her voice. Glace shook her head slowly. The light in Meloetta's eyes went out, and she stared aimlessly at the ground.

Glace turned to Ezra and Carys, looking hopeless.

"You two must have followed me to the meeting spot last night. I haven't betrayed Ezra, though. You two have been nothing but kind to me, even though we only had a short time together. As far as Formora's concerned, I don't know who the Light Champion is. I won't tell her, I promise. And even if she does find out somehow, I won't tell her where you live. Truth be told, I don't know where exactly you guys call 'home'." She admitted.

"Why should we believe you about not betraying Ezra? And it's not like we're dumb enough to remain in one place for an extended period of time, not while Ezra is who she is." Countered Carys. Ezra was grateful for Carys' quick thinking. She didn't want Glace or Formora—_especially _Formora—knowing where they lived.

"I guess you'll just have to take my word for it." Glace shrugged.

"Hold on…." Roman spoke for the first time since Glace's outburst. "You sound as if you're still going to rendezvous with the Dark Champion. We just let you walk free, not after your speech."

"No, I'm still going." Glace said determinedly, a dare in her eyes as she stared at the burly Chesnaught.

"Glace…?" Caine broke in, looking worriedly at his friend. She turned to him, and broke into a radiant smile that made her entire face light up. Despite the situation, a sigh of admiration came from all of the men in the room.

"Caine, sweetie…" She purred, her voice dripping with honey. "Let's take a trip; just you and me. Does that sound like fun?"

Caine, the poor simple sap, lit up and nodded vigorously.

"No you don't!" Snarled Franziska, preparing a Razor Shell.

Everyone dove for Glace, but the Glaceon countered with Blizzard, severely damaging over half of the Pokemon and freezing the rest.

"Come on, Caine!" Glace shouted as she made her escape.

"Wait…" Winced Chrysi, who was brought to her knees by the devastating blow. She weakly reached towards the exit, but stumbled.

Encased in ice, Ezra made her flame grow to monstrous proportions. It melted the ice, but it was at an agonizingly slow pace. The others were doing their best to break free from their icy prisons as the grass, bug, dragon, and flying-types slowly regained their strength. Eventually, everyone was well enough to give chase.

"Do you two know where she's going?" Demanded Mercury as every Pokemon, including the heartbroken Meloetta, ran out of the building and into the land beyond town.

"Yeah, follow me!" Shouted Ezra, leading the group to the southwestern coast. When they got to Sunset Beach, there was no sign of Glace.

"She must have gone inside already. Come on! It's only 20 floors; we can catch her before she exits."

"Chrys, you go with me and Ivysaur. Milana, you go with Pelipper. Trina and Franziska will go as a pair." Directed Rose. It was a smart move, giving the non-explorers a helping hand. Everyone split into their respective groups, and one by one they entered the dungeon.

**Sunset Beach ( watch?v=OYb5A1Yvhro)**

**1F**

"Let's do our wall-travel thing. We have no time to waste!" Suggested Carys.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's go!" Agreed Ezra as they split up.

**2F**

"Stairs!" The duo shouted upon spawning.

**3F—6F**

Whenever they spawned, they would simply split up and travel through the walls, ignoring all Pokemon. Ezra carried the bag, as Carys still had a Stamina Band on her. Ez would need the extra energy for all of the phasing she had to do.

**7F**

"Hey, Ez?" Asked Carys as they spawned yet again.

"Hmm?" Ezra looked back at her friend.

"Can we….skip to the part where we all arrive at the cliffs? It's been three days of nothing but Sunset Beach. There's only so much new content the author can have us do in that short amount of time." Carys asked sheepishly.

"But….isn't that cheating? It's not exactly a Mystery Dungeon fic if we don't go through the dungeon proper." Protested Ezra.

"It'll only be just this once. Both me and RemiScarlet58 promise. For the rest of the fic, there'll be no back-to-back posts of the same dungeon. I'm sure the audience will understand." Persuaded Carys.

"Well….fine. But _only_ this once." Warned Ezra, sighing.

"I promise."

**8F—20F**

**VOID**

**Sunset Beach Cliff**

They arrived at the cliffs just a second after Glace and Caine did. Up ahead lay Team Renegade, along with a mirror the size of a Tyranitar. The sky was filled with brilliant streaks of orange, pink, and purple. It would have been a breathtaking sight if the situation were not so dire.

"Formora! Hurry! Everyone's following me!" Glace hissed to the surprised Froslass.

"It's over, Glace!" Shouted Ranna as everyone else arrived.

"Wow! You weren't kidding." Exclaimed Kialandi to Glace, looking at the newcomers.

"All of you are under arrest!" Boomed Roman, sending out a Seed Bomb. Team Renegade stepped in and easily countered the attack with a simultaneous Dragon Breath, Dragon Pulse, and Shadow Ball.

"We'll hold them off. You two hold them off!" Firnen called over his shoulder to Glace and Caine.

With that said, a swirling purple hole appeared in the middle of the mirror. The hole grew in size until it encompassed most of the mirror. It also appeared to grow in depth until it looked to be as deep as a trench, impossibly so as the mirror was only a couple inches thick. Glace and Caine hesitated in front of the swirling mass.

"Jump in! It's a portal!" Yelled Kialandi as he knocked the ground-bound Pokemon off their feet with Earth Power.

Team Rogue did just that, and they were sucked into the violent maelstrom.

"NO!" Screamed Ezra, enraged at how close they had been.

Their duty done, Formora, Kialandi, and Firnen raced back towards the mirror, intending to escape that way.

"Nice try, but it appears we have a new member! How does it feel to know one of your closest friends turned traitor?" Laughed Formora.

"Stay and fight! Or are you too much of a coward to do so?" Baited Ezra, not for one second believing that all was lost.

"Hah! Please. You're just a mere annoyance to me. You're not deserving of my special attention. Run along with your friends, now." Formora made a shooing motion with her hands as she turned to jump into the portal.

"So you're just going to ignore the fact that the Champion of Light is standing right in front of you?" Ezra asked boldly, playing the one card she had. Formora whipped around so quickly that for a second Ezra thought she had given herself whiplash.

"What did you just say?" Formora whispered, staring intently at her.

"Come _on, _Formora!" An impatient Firnen shouted as he grabbed Formora and dove into the portal with Kialandi.

After the three had been teleported to whatever horrible destination the portal was linked to, the purple vortex faded away until the large mirror was reflecting only the dungeon behind the explorers. A minute later, the mirror cracked without warning, and violently broke into a million pieces, shards falling every which way. Roman shielded them all with Spiky Shield.

For what seemed like hours, they stared silently at where the mirror once stood, as if Glace would magically reappear and declare it all a hilarious prank. Oblivious to the tragedy that had occurred above it, the ocean ceaselessly crashed against the shoreline. Glace had said she wanted to be remembered for something other than her beauty.

Well, she had gotten her wish.

**From what I've been reading, you guys seem to agree that there's been too much Sunset Beach lately. As Carys said above, no dungeon will ever be traversed back-to-back. I've learned my lesson on **_**that**_**, believe me…**

**The next post shall contain: A new day, sadness, and a song.**


	44. Chapter 44

The walk home was arguably the longest walk the explorers had ever experienced, despite it only being ten short miles. They felt drained, sad. They had lost a friend, and now they had to go back and tell the others why Glace and Caine were never coming back. The moon was just beginning to rise when they finally arrived back at Lily Town. They silently trudged past the curious townspeople and into their building, where they sat down in the commons room and stared at nothing. No one tried to go sleep. They were still too raw after what had just happened. Even if anyone _was_ capable of falling asleep, they couldn't, as Meloetta ran straight to her room and began sobbing and wailing at the top of her lungs. She would not let anyone in, even her own teammates.

"I think….Glace's betrayal has hit Meloetta hardest of all." Ranna said uncomfortably after the second hour of heartbroken wailing.

Eventually, the wails died to muted sniffles, and everyone retired to their own rooms (except for Ranna and Dyrim; they were still barred from their own room and had to use an empty one) for the night. It was around dawn when Ezra finally managed to drift into sleep.

* * *

It seemed like she had just closed her eyes when she woke up. Judging by the sun, it was actually early afternoon. Carys was gone, already having woken up. Ezra left their room to find everyone minus Meloetta in the commons room.

"Am I the last one up?" She asked, yawning. She felt so lethargic and drained.

"Yeah." Ivysaur nodded dully.

"I'm not making breakfast today, so if you're hungry then find something for yourself." Franziska alerted them curtly. Ezra nodded and flopped down on a chair.

The Pokemon sat and stared for a while, but a knock at the door downstairs made them all look up. Rose went to see who it was, and came back to tell them that the town wanted to talk to them. Groaning, everyone got up and headed into town, where they found the rest of the population waiting for them.

"We saw you guys chase Team Rogue last night, but when you all returned you looked sad. …You _still_ look sad. What happened?" Demanded Hoopa.

Sighing, Ezra told them all what had just transpired. There was a stunned, horrified silence for a brief moment.

"Surely you can't be serious." Said Jumpluff flatly. Ezra couldn't blame the banker's disbelief. _She_ was still trying to wrap her head around it all as well.

"We are serious, unfortunately. We all saw Glace and Caine leave with members of the Dark. She was…pretty determined to go. She tricked Caine into following her. We tried to stop them, but they got away…" Drooped Macargo of Team Geo.

"So…what now?" Asked the purple Kecleon brother.

"The Dark knows I'm the Light Champion now. Carys tried to trick Glace into thinking we don't live here, but who knows if that'll work?" Explained Ezra.

"Didn't Glace say she hasn't and won't betray you, though?" Recalled Dyrim.

"We don't know if she's telling the truth. For all we know, she could just be saying that to lull us in a false sense of security so Formora can swoop in and attack." Shrugged Carys.

"I guess we'll have to go on the run again, and not even a week after we got back." Ezra sighed, her feet aching at the thought of walking all those miles again.

"Hold on," cut in Franziska, "no one said anything about you two leaving again."

"Franziska's right; if the Dark wants to take Ezra, they'll have to get past us!" Grinned Roman, smashing his fist in his other hand.

"But…they'll likely come in endless waves of foes…" Protested Ezra.

"And? The way I see it, we're just thinning the hordes and helping the good side out." Retorted Franziska, a wicked smile on her face.

"Yeah, don't worry about the Dark, Ez. We got 'em." Said Seadra, touching her briefly on the shoulder. Ezra was speechless at her friends' devotion to her.

"We'll go out and spread rumors that Ez and Carys indeed left the area, so that hopefully the Dark will leave us alone." Plotted Macargo.

"Ooh! We'll help too!" Offered Chrysi, raising a hand.

"And us." Nodded Grayson, speaking for the Specials.

"If the Dark _does_ find us…they'll find we aren't so easy to take down." Franziska grinned maliciously, her fingers twitching as if holding imaginary scalchops. The entire town cheered in agreement.

Ezra was truly humbled by the lengths her friends were willing to go for her. They were willing to risk capture, torture, and possibly even death to protect her. It would be much simpler for them to deliver her to Formora, and yet they chose the Light way. The _right_ way.

"We'll go out immediately. Who knows how long it'll be before the Darkness comes sniffing around? The sooner the rumors reach them, the better. Presumably _one_ of us will happen to talk to a Dark agent." Milana was saying, bringing Ezra back out of her reverie.

"Ez, let's hole up somewhere for the day until the others get back. Team Renegade could be heading right for us this very second." Carys said.

"Uh, sure." Agreed Ezra, still taken aback by this sudden plan.

"Then it's settled. Everyone, let's gear up and get going! Let's prove Glace wrong about the Light being the wrong side!" Declared Roman, raising his hands in the air. The explorers cheered their enthusiasm, then set off to prepare for the mission.

"Come on, Ez. I know where we can hide." Said Carys, nudging Ezra towards the southern gate.

"Wait, what?" Ezra asked, still trying to put together what just happened. The change in mood was a bit unexpected, to say the least.

"Come on." Carys said, leading Ezra out of town. Still confused, she looked back to watch the others leave the opposite end of town. She looked forward again, and followed Carys for three hours down to the southern peninsula, which was covered in pristine, white sand.

"Uh…Carys? I'm a bit tired of beaches, if you know what I mean." Ezra said slowly.

"But we're the only ones here, and it isn't a dungeon. Let's just…relax, okay? Just spend the day forgetting yesterday and watching the ocean." Encouraged Carys, ling down on the sand to stare up at the clouds in the sky.

Ezra sighed, but did the same thing.

They spent the rest of the day talking about the events of yesterday, and their thoughts on it. Ezra was concerned they would have to leave town again, but Carys was adamant they stay.

"I believe in our friends." She said firmly.

They spoke about Ezra's status as Light Champion, Voice, _Him_, and Formora. After that they watched the clouds drift by, and the waves crash lazily onto the shore. As the day wore on, Ezra felt better about the future. She hoped Glace would keep her promise and not tell Glace where she lived, but even if she did, Ezra was confident that Lily Town could hold off the Dark long enough for her to escape.

Eventually, it was time to return home. Feeling much better, Team Banshee came home to find the other explorers had returned as well.

"We traveled long and hard, but we spread the rumor to as many Pokemon as we could." Trina was beaming, coming to meet the two in the town square.

"Now all we have to do is wait and see if anything happens!" Grinned Noibat, coming to sit by the rest of Team Geo.

"It'll be agonizing, but I think the wait will be well worth the relief." Nodded Roman.

"Thank you so much for all you've done. I can't express how grateful I am to have friends like you guys." Ezra tearfully hugged each and every explorer, one by one.

"By the way, has anyone seen Meloetta?" Asked Carys, looking around.

"She hasn't left our room all day. I'm starting to get worried about her." Sighed Ranna, shaking her head sadly.

"Uh, I think you should turn around, then." Said Seadra, looking at something past Ezra's shoulder. Everyone turned to see a grim-faced Meloetta, eyes bloodshot from crying, walking towards them.

"Meloetta!" They all chorused, astonished to see the disheveled legendary. She ignored everyone, then came to stand in the middle of the square.

She closed her eyes, cleared her voice, sang a few notes to test her voice, then fell silent for a few minutes. Just as Ezra was about to say something, Meloetta broke into song.

"Perfect by nature, icons of self-indulgence…..Just what we all need, more lies about a world that _never was and never will be_! Have you no shame? Don't you see me…? You know you've got everybody fooled." She sang. Her voice was rusty and hoarse from hours of crying, but it still put all who listened into a trance. It became clear the song was about Glace, what with all the mentions of beauty and masked intentions. "You don't know how you've betrayed me…Without the mask, where will you hide? Can't find yourself, lost in your lie…..I know the truth now. I know who you are. _And I don't love you anymore!_" She screamed, breaking into the chorus again. "It never was and never will be…..You're not real and you can't save me. But somehow now you're everybody's fool….."

After that, Meloetta broke into tearful sobs once more, falling to her knees and covering her eyes. The townspeople of Lily Town all came over to embrace the brokenhearted legendary, whose feelings had been held captive and manipulated without a single thought about the aftermath.

**A shorter chapter than what you're used to, but I wanted the characters to recover somewhat before I go into the next post, which just so happens to be the chapter 9 finale. I think you guys will be surprised, for both good and bad reasons.**

**Just like the first concert Team Siren gave, Meloetta's song is indeed an actual thing. It's called "Everybody's Fool" by Evanescence. **

**The next post shall contain: Something too good to be true that turns out to be true, albeit not without some horror thrown into the mix.**


	45. Chapter 45

Ezra woke the next day to the sounds of arguing. Yawning, she walked out of her room to find an angry Meloetta.

"We find the rarest treasures, don't we? So that's why we're going out to find Shards!" She was yelling hoarsely at her teammates. Her eyes were still a bit red around the edges, and her voice was still raspy. But there was a hardness in her eyes that had not been there before last night.

"But….we don't know where the remaining Shards are…" Protested Dyrim, looking somewhat fearful of the vengeful legendary.

"Do we ever have a clear idea as to where our marks are? No! So I don't see how this is any different. The Dark will _pay_, Ranna and Dyrim, and they will pay _hard_. We already need to go out and find the Shards so Ezra can save Voice anyway. Now come on! We're leaving immediately." Meloetta retorted in a voice that brooked no argument whatsoever.

The rest of Team Siren shut up, looked at each other helplessly, then gingerly followed their leader out of the building.

"Poor Meloetta." Ezra jumped, then turned around to see Rose standing behind her.

"She really cared for Glace, didn't she?" Ezra asked softly. Rose nodded.

"Indeed. Now she believes she can mend her heart by destroying the side that stole Glace from her. But that won't work. Only time will heal her." Rose said wisely.

* * *

After breakfast, the residents spent their morning having a mini chess tournament; as it was too hot to do anything but stay indoors. Ezra lost in the very first round, much to her disappointment, but Carys did much better, advancing up to the quarterfinals before losing. The finals were currently going on, with Milana versus Grayson from the Bravo Specials. Her brow furrowed in concentration, Milana slowly pushed her remaining rook two spaces forward. Just as Grayson took hold of his queen, a shout from downstairs startled him into shaking the board, sending multiple pieces skittering off the table and onto the floor.

"Awwwww! Whoever cost us the match will get a Crush Claw to the face!" He growled, picking up the fallen pieces. Pelipper came flying up the stairs—literally—with Neal in tow.

"You guys! You need to hear what Neal has to say!" Pelipper screeched, getting everyone's attention.

"Ledian told me something you all need to hear." The Cherrim said. As it was very bright outside, he was in his Sunshine form.

"What is it?" Inquired Ivysaur, curiosity piqued.

"He heard a rumor that…..that someone was injured at the end of a dungeon named Murky Trench. It's off the northwestern side of the continent. But that's not the important part." Neal shook his head.

"Spit it out." Demanded Franziska.

"The injured Pokemon…..I think it's Ben." The last part came out as a whisper. The entire room fell into a stunned silence. Ben was at the end of a dungeon, even though he had been kidnapped by Team Renegade a month ago? It couldn't possibly be true! But what if it was…?

"How….how did Ledian know it's Ben? We haven't….we haven't heard from him in ages." Ezra dared ask the question everyone was wondering.

"From what Ledian told me, a traveler found a Shiny Riolu at the end of the dungeon. Said Riolu was unconscious, and looked very injured. She didn't have the ability to move or help him, so she left and immediately asked Ledian, who was at the village she lives in, to get an exploration team. He was on a very tight schedule, and his next scheduled delivery was to me, so he told me to tell you guys." Neal concluded his story.

"A Shiny Riolu….that does sound like Ben." Mused Roman.

"But what if it's not him? I mean, it's not like Shiny Pokemon are rare these days, what with the distortions! And he was kidnapped, remember? What's he doing at the end of a dungeon? I highly doubt the Dark let him go…" Noibat objected.

"No matter who this Shiny Riolu is, it's our duty to rescue him, or her." Ezra said firmly.

"…Ezra's right. It's our job to rescue injured Pokemon, even if they remind us of lost friends. Where is this dungeon, again?" Agreed Trina.

"I'll show you." Ezra handed Neal their map, and he pointed to a spot in the middle of the northwestern sea.

"It's so far….We'll need a ferry." Whispered Chrysi.

"Noooo, not another water dungeon…." Groaned Ezra. She hadn't fully recovered from Sunset Beach yet.

"We'll make it work. Come on, we have a Pokemon to rescue! If it is indeed Ben, he'll need medical help and transportation back to Lily Town! Ambrose, Seadra, Mercury, and Milana can take turns carrying us land-bound Pokemon to the entrance. Noibat, I'm sorry but you're too small to carry anyone." Coordinated Roman.

"It's fine." The tiny Pokemon shrugged.

"All right? Then let's go!" Roman boomed, raising a fist in the air.

"YEAH!" The explorers shouted back, racing off to their mission.

* * *

**Somewhere on the northwestern beach…**

The land-bound explorers waited patiently on the beach as Seadra and Ambrose dove into the water.

"Ezra, Carys, Trina, and Chrysi, you're up first." Instructed Mercury, letting Ezra climb onto his back. Milana took hold of Carys as Trina climbed on top of Seadra and Chrysi on Ambrose.

Once the eight were ready, the fliers and swimmers took off without preamble. Ezra held on tight to the Noivern's back, looking precariously down at the water below. They steadily rose higher and higher, making her get dizzier as she thought about what a long fall it would be until she hit the water. She imagined sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean below, her flame going out, no air in her lungs…..

"Stop squirming! You'll fall off!" Admonished Mercury below her.

"Sorry. I hate water, for obvious reasons." She squeaked sheepishly. Beside her, Milana flew steadily with Carys in her arms. Both appeared to be enjoying the flight very much.

Presently, they stopped, hovering above a large patch of water that was darker in color than the rest of the ocean.

"We're here." Announced Milana, she and Mercury slowly descending until they were floating just a few yards away from the swimmers.

"The entrance must be down here. Let's go!" Shouted Chrysi, jumping off of Ambrose's back and backflipping into the dark water. Trina followed a moment later, and Milana put Carys on Mercury's back before diving in as well.

The water swallowed them up immediately, and there was no trace of them under the surface. Ezra swallowed hard. There was _no_ way she was jumping into that water. For one, there was absolutely no sign of a dungeon underneath the surface.

"Alright, Team Banshee. Off you go." Said Seadra after a moment.

"I'm not jumping in there." Declared Ezra, taking a fearful step back. "You saw how quickly Team Valkyrie disappeared from view; how do we know that there's even a dungeon under there? Nope, I'm not risking my ne-whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" She screamed as she was pushed roughly from behind. She stumbled, and fell straight into the ocean.

**Murky Trench**

She landed roughly into a shallow cave. Carys joined her a moment later.

"Sorry about pushing you, but it was the only way you were going to get in here. Speaking of this place, look at it! We're in a cave under the ocean!" She marveled, looking around. The cave they were in was surrounded in dark rock, preventing water from filtering in, and the floor was made of sand, covered in a thin layer of dark blue water. Seashells and seaweed littered the walls, and there was an exit up ahead.

"I suppose I should thank you for that," Sighed Ezra, getting up. "Let's just get this over with."

**B1F ( watch?v=-9HSdRuiqPg)**

"I'm really tired of water dungeons." Ezra grumbled as they spawned. The floor was a deep dark blue hue of water, and the walls were made out of a dark grey rock. Small lily pads littered the ground.

"That Crawdaunt isn't." Nodded Carys towards a Crawdaunt that had also spawned in with them.

"Night-Leaf?" She suggested.

"Night-Leaf." Nodded Ezra as the two initiated the combo attack, which almost KO'd the water-type.

"Ugh, great, I'm doubly weak to that thing." Groaned Ezra, narrowly dodging a Bubblebeam. Carys dispatched it with one more Razor Leaf.

"Well, good thing you have me." She said cheerfully.

**B2F**

"Do you really think Ben is here?" Asked Carys after they had taken down a Sharpedo.

"I don't know. I can't see any reason why the Dark would let him go…..Maybe he escaped?" She suggested, shrugging. She didn't want to think about her friend at the mercy of the Dark side.

"Could be, but how did he end up in the middle of the ocean?" Replied Carys.

"Maybe someone carried him there? When we get to the end, we'll ask." Resolved Ezra.

**B3F**

Ezra and Carys nearly fainted in shock after they spawned on the next floor. It was a one-room floor, but it _had_ to be, as a Wailord was also on this level. It was the only foe, but a daunting foe nevertheless. They couldn't see the Stairs, the Pokemon's girth was so large.

"Uh…How do we proceed…?" Asked Ezra, amazed. The Wailord seemed to be sleeping, as it was not moving. Truth be told, there wasn't much room left for it to maneuver in anyway.

"Climb over it? No way am I fighting that thing; it's too huge!" Suggested Carys.

Gingerly, the two tiptoed over to the sleeping Wailord. It began snoring quite loudly, making Ezra cover the area where her ears would be.

"Snore!" Shouted Carys to Ezra over the volume. Even more desperate to get out, the two threw caution to the wind and began climbing over the Wailord, which shuddered as they moved across it.

Finally, they were on the massive Pokemon's back. They raced across, making the Pokemon shudder further, until they came to the other side of its back, where they had a good view of the rest of the floor.

"Look! There's the Stairs!" Pointed Ezra. They jumped down, and ran towards them, bemused at the entire situation.

**B4F**

"Awesome! Stairs." Ezra sighed in relief, seeing that they had spawned a few paces away from the Stairs. Thankfully, there were no Wailords on this floor. A Lanturn had also spawned with them, but it was farther away from them.

**B5F**

"Yah!" Shouted Ezra as she tossed a Gravelrock over Carys' head and onto the Sharpedo she was fighting. They were in a corridor, and two Sharpedos were lining up for a chance at defeating the two intruders. But the intruders were proving to be more than they could handle.

Carys dispatched the first Sharpedo with Razor Leaf, then hit the second one with Shadow Sneak. Ezra lobbed another Gravelrock as it came closer. One more Razor Leaf, and it was down.

"Hey Ez, this one dropped a One-Room Orb." Panted Carys as she picked it up. "Should we use it now?"

"Nah," Ezra shook her head. "We've come pretty far into this floor already. Let's save it for the next one."

They silently resumed their trek.

"We're pretty awesome, aren't we?" Asked Carys after a moment.

"We are indeed."

**B6F**

"Oh-kay, One-Room Orb time!" Said Carys as she broke the orb. As it did before, the inner walls began to rumble, then crumbled to microscopic pieces, thus effectively turning the room into one giant chamber.

The Stairs were very far away, and surrounded by enemies to boot.

"Ready to run the gauntlet?" Asked Ezra, gearing up for a sprint.

"Let's do it." Carys replied grimly.

At that, the two shot off like rockets, whizzing past enemies and dodging attacks left and right. Towards the final stretch, Carys crashed into a Wailmer, but Ezra pulled through and actually _dove_ straight onto the Stairs. Needless to say, that hurt. A lot.

**B7F**

Still wincing from her recent dive, Ezra followed Carys into a chamber that held some Poke and an X-Eye Seed.

"I'll get the money." Ezra volunteered, steering away from her friend. As she was heading towards the Poke, however, she sprung a Warp Trap.

"Whyyyyyyyyyy?!" She howled as she was teleported somewhere else. This new chamber held a Rawst Berry, and she took it, grumbling.

Muttering under her breath, she exited the room, looking for either Carys or the Stairs.

**B8F**

**Weather Condition: Rain**

"Whaaaaa! Rain!" Wailed Ezra, desperately shielding her flame.

"Oh pipe down; we have Stairs!" Dismissed Carys.

**B9F**

Ezra and Carys, having separated to collect different items in the same room, had failed to notice the hulking Huntail enter the room. Ezra was alerted to its presence when she was rudely hit with Dive.

"Ow!" She shouted as she was sent sprawling across the floor. As luck would have it, she activated a trap. This time, it was a Spin Trap.

The trap rotated again and again, making Ezra dizzy and confused. She tried to wander away from the Trap, but her head felt like molasses and her vision was filled with colored spots. She thought she heard Carys shout something, but it was lost in the haze of her mind. She felt something hit her, and she was dashed to the floor. Pain flooding all of her senses, she tried to get up, but an agonizing blow to her head was enough to knock her out.

She was thankful she had revitalized with a clear mind. She saw that Carys had too been affected by the Spin Trap, and that a Gorebyss was with them. The Huntail was nearby, wincing at a burn on its mouth. Flame Body must have triggered. Good. She surprised it with Hex, which was doubly effective since her target was burned. As it recovered, she finished it with Night Shade. It was a good thing the burn had weakened it, she thought.

She turned to the Gorebyss, who was busy beating up Carys.

"Stop that" She chided it, getting its attention with Night Shade.

It looked over and, seeing an immediate threat, angrily swam over to her. She launched another Night Shade, but it dodged and countered with Water Pulse, which Ezra too dodged.

Over the Gorebyss' shoulder, she noticed Carys snap out of her confusion. Carys, upon seeing the situation, dispatched the startled Gorebyss with a Razor Leaf.

"It snuck up on me and knocked me into the trap." Carys explained sheepishly as they left the chamber,

**B10F**

"Hey, Ezra?" Asked Carys as they were nonchalantly walking down a corridor.

"Hmmm?"

"My Pickup Ability has struck again, and I think you'll love the result." Reported Carys.

"Oh?"

"Look in here." Carys handed Ezra the bag. She looked inside, and squealed with delight to find that a Stamina Band had been picked up.

"A Stamina Band! Eeeeee!" She exclaimed, tying it onto her neck.

"I've missed these things." She said, sighing in content.

**B11F**

"I care about Stairs." Declared Carys upon seeing the Stairs.

**B12F**

**Weather Condition: Rain**

Much to Ezra's horror, it had begun raining again. Her flame hissed as each droplet of water hit it. Her ire further increased as she noticed that a Lanturn had spawned with them.

It started off the fight with a Signal Beam at Carys, who became confused.

"Okay, Lanturn," said Ezra. "let's dance." At that, she launched off a Night Shade, which it easily dodged.

Charging up a ball of electricity, Lanturn threw an Electro Ball at Ezra, who was too slow to dodge. The attack made her vision go white for a second, but she recovered and hit her foe with Hex. At this, the foe called up water from the floor to surround it in an Aqua Ring, restoring its health a tiny bit. Ezra wasn't concerned, and broke past the ring with Night Shade. Angrily, the Lanturn sent out a Thunder Wave, paralyzing her. Still, Ezra wasn't concerned. The paralysis prevented her from moving her feet or using her attacks, but she could still throw Iron Spikes.

She surprised the Lanturn, who had thought she was vulnerable, and hit it twice with the Spikes. Miraculously, that was when she became mobile again. She finished the fight with Hex, and waited patiently for Carys to snap out of it.

**B13F**

"!sriatS" Shouted Carys, seeing that they had yet again spawned with the Stairs.

"How did you even move the exclamation mark like that?" Asked Ezra, amazed.

"Shhh, no breaking the fourth wall." Whispered Carys fretfully, looking around nervously.

**B14F**

**Weather Condition: Rain**

Ezra was leading the group this time, and she came to a chamber with only one exit, directly across from where she was. As she was heading towards it, she yet again activated a trap. This time, it was a Random Trap.

"Uh oh." She said, bracing herself. Knowing her luck, it would be a Warp Trap.

Surprisingly, it wasn't. The Trap turned into a Chestnut Trap, which hurt for a few seconds and then was done.

After a moment, she dared to open her eye.

"Is that it?" She asked cautiously, looking at the trap like it would sprout wings.

"Yep." Confirmed Carys.

"Oh. Okay then." Said Ezra, regaining some of her composure as they walked away from the area.

**B15F**

They had finally found the Stairs, which were being guarded by a Chinchou. Glancing at each other in disbelief, they KO'd it with a Flame-Leaf.

**Murky Trench Depths**

They arrived before Team Valkyrie did, it seemed. The area was much like the beginning, as the walls were made of rock and decorated with seashells. Up ahead, a yellow figure was laying in the shallow water.

"Look! There he is!" Exclaimed Carys as she and Ezra ran over to study the unconscious figure. It was indeed a Shiny Riolu. He—or she—had healing bruises and scratches all over his or her body, and he or she seemed emaciated.

"Wow….I wonder what happened to him. Or her." Whistled Carys softly. Ezra reached in their bag and took out an Oran Berry.

"Hey….can you hear me?" She asked, gently nudging the Riolu. His or her eyes fluttered, then opened a crack. They came to focus unsteadily on Ezra, who held the berry to the Riolu's lips.

"E….Ez….ra…..?" The Pokemon croaked weakly before drifting back into unconsciousness.

Ezra's eye widened.

"Did you hear that?" She whispered, trying not to disturb the unconscious Ben.

"Yeah. It really is Ben." Carys whispered back incredulously.

"Hey! You guys!" Called a voice from the exit. They looked to see the others arrive.

"So?" Demanded Macargo as they studied the injured Riolu.

"It truly is Ben. He said my name before he passed out again. He needs medical attention, ASAP." Reported Ezra, looking sadly at her friend. What had happened to him?

The others took one look at the emaciated Ben and collectively hissed in sympathy.

"Palkia's pearls." Swore Ambrose, carefully taking the unconscious figure in his arms.

"We'll make whoever did this to him pay." Vowed Roman, a single tear running down his cheek.

"We need to get him to Sora, and quick!" Exclaimed Chrysi.

With that in mind, the explorers marched straight home with their friend. They delivered him to Sora, who was knowledgeable in the healing arts. The Reuniclus mashed up Oran and Sitrus berries into a pulp, then carefully fed the mix to Ben. Sora dressed his wounds, and politely ordered the explorers to give him and his patient some space. Sulking, the explorers went back to the Lofts, and told the others the story.

* * *

After dinner, Neal came to report that Ben was awake, and was asking for Ezra. She and Carys eagerly came to greet their old friend, who was lying on a makeshift bed in an unused reference room in Sora's library. He was covered in bandages, and his right leg and left arm were in a cast. A pitcher of water lay nearby.

"Ben…It's so good to see you again. How are you?" Ezra asked softly, squeezing his hand.

"Better, now that you all rescued me." He smiled faintly, weakly squeezing her hand back.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Asked Carys.

"They…did horrible things to me, things I don't want to talk about. I wasn't the only one there, at the Dark hideout. There were _hundreds_ of Pokemon with me, all of them Shiny. One by one, we would be knocked out and taken to a tower. On top of the tower—I think it was a dungeon—was a gray Pokemon trapped in a forcefield of some sort. And then…..a Y-shaped Pokemon would ask us if we recognized the other prisoner, and vice versa. The Y-shaped Pokemon…..he'd scream and hit me over and over again, demanding I reveal myself or something like that. Then I'd be knocked out again and taken back to my cell. It happened multiple times…I don't know what the purpose of it all was….." Ben trailed off, shuddering at the memory.

"It's okay. You're safe now." Comforted Ezra, awkwardly hugging him. Inwardly, she knew why Ben had been treated as such: the Y-shaped Pokemon, whoever he was, wanted Ben to reveal himself as the Light Champion in front of who could only be Voice.

"How'd you end up in those casts?" Asked Carys, nodding to them.

"Oh…..When I was first…..kidnapped…..I broke my arm. Then, as the three who kidnapped me were taking me to their lair, I tried to escape, but ended up falling down a steep cliff and hurt my leg really badly. The three wouldn't help me at all….When I was tossed in prison, a kind Shiny Chansey helped reset the bones, but without a cast they didn't heal properly, and now I can't walk right or feel my fingers sometimes…..Mr. Sora thinks he might be able to fully heal me, but I'm not sure if he can…..Hope hasn't exactly done much for me lately….." Ben looked away sadly, turning away from the two.

Ezra felt a lump growing in her throat. Team Renegade had abused their poor friend to the point of maiming him. She vowed they would pay for their actions, the next time they met.

"You said you wanted to speak to me, right?" She heard herself saying.

"Yeah…..A couple days ago, the guards started knocking us out. When I awoke, I was at that dungeon you found me in. I tried to get out, but I was to weak to weak, let alone swim…..As I sat there, despairing at how I'd been left to die, I fell asleep without warning. I had a dream that I was standing in Lily Town, and I heard a lady's voice talk to me. She said, 'tell Ezra to hurry. Her Voice is failing fast. She needs to find the Shards, and quickly. I'll contact you soon, but for now, stay low, and know that Voice chose you for a reason, light in the darkness'."

**Fun fact: The lady who contacted Ben is the same Pokemon whom Team Lunar Wind serve.**

**And so we end Chapter 9 with an old friend and a message to hurry. Oh boy. **

**As I had mentioned in Chapter 8, I'm going to take a week off. I'll be back sometime next week with Chapter 10! **


	46. Chapter 10 Answers At Last

Chapter 10. Answers at Last

The next morning, it was business as usual. Team Banshee woke up, ate breakfast, and went outside to do their morning errands. As they headed to the markets, Ezra looked at Sora's library for a few moments. Ben was still recovering inside, and she did not forget the message he had brought to her the previous night. She had resolved to ask Ledian to step up his own inquiries, and was more focused on the mysterious lady would who contact her soon. She hoped that whoever the lady was, she could help with the whole find-the-Shards thing.

Ezra pushed her worries to the back of her mind. It seemed that she always had to be worrying about something ever since she came here. Well, it was getting really old really fast. She would try to enjoy this day, as the temperature was not too hot and the humidity was tolerable for once. All in all, it was a perfect day, and she deserved a rest from stress.

After they had finished their errands, they started heading back to the Lofts when they came across a pouting Hoopa standing outside Neal's shop.

"Hey, Hoopa. What's up?" Greeted Carys, coming over to the frowning Pokemon.

"I'm so boooorrrreedddd." Groaned Hoopa, falling onto his back to look at the sky. "Don't get me wrong, I love my job at Neal's place, but….sometimes I wanna do something different, ya know?"

"I hear you. Say, think you could do us a favor?" Asked Ezra, getting an idea.

"Sure, what is it?" Agreed Hoopa.

"You think you could look around for Shards? With your warping ability, you could save us a lot of time." Said Ezra.

Hoopa paused to think for a moment, then a huge grin slowly spread across his face.

"Yeah, I could do that." He said, a glint in his eyes.

"Awesome! Thank you." Ezra breathed a sigh of relief. Hoopa could cover a lot of ground in no time at all.

"No problem. I gotta get back to work, but I'll ask around this evening. Bye!" Hoopa waved as he headed back inside Neal's dessert shop.

"Good thinking, getting him to help." Carys said to her as they returned to the Lofts to search for a job.

**Dappled Pond **

**B1F**

They were here to take down outlaws known as Team Leviathan. The four-Pokemon team was reported to be high-ranking members of the Dark army, and their wanted poster repeatedly warned about their strength. The members were: Westley, a Greninja; Fiona, a Milotic; Axel, a Whiscash; and Jes, a Blastoise. The mission claimed that the four had last been spotted on B5F of the dungeon. Ezra was not pleased at being surrounded by water-types once again, but she pressed on, hoping to get some information out of the outlaw team when they caught up to them.

**B2F**

At least she could one-shot the foes here. She was inordinately stronger than she had been when they had first come here, in search of the first Mysterious Shard, so that was one good thing, she guessed. She didn't even have to exert that much energy in here.

**B3F**

"Sitars!" Yelled Carys. Ezra looked at her, completely bewildered.

"Um. What?" Was all she could say.

"Sitars. It's an anagram for 'stairs'." Replied Carys smartly.

"Ah."

**B4F**

There wasn't really much to say about this floor. They one-hit-KO'd anything that dared stand in their way, and they didn't find any particularly interesting items. It was actually a nice change of pace, not having to try at all.

**B5F**

They spawned cautiously, their badges _ping!_ing to alert them that their quarry was on this floor. The Team they had been sent to dispatch didn't seem to be around, but that didn't mean they could dare let their guards down. Warily, they set out to find their foes. They passed through the chamber that held the Stairs, but for once they didn't care. They were here to potentially take down dangerous Dark enemies, not explore the dungeon.

They did not find their quarry. Rather, their quarry found _them_. The corridor they were in made a sharp 90 degree turn, and Team Leviathan chose to position themselves _just_ behind the corner. Ezra was leading the team, and she received a Hydro Pump to the face as she turned the corner.

The Hydro Pump was incredibly strong, powerful enough to knock her off her feet and slam her and Carys into the wall behind them. Eventually, the attack ended, and the two sputtering Pokemon slid to the floor with a thump. They looked up to find a Milotic, Greninja, Blastoise, and Whiscash—in that order, as the walls were just wide enough for one Pokemon—staring at them.

"Yet another exploration team who think they can take us on? I'm starting to get bored." The Milotic, Fiona, said tauntingly. She went to attack again, but was stopped.

"Wait, Fi. They're a Shiny Litwick and a Pumpkaboo." Said Westley, putting a hand on Fiona's neck.

"Whoa whoa whoa, you're not telling me that _this_ is Team Banshee?" Axel cut in incredulously.

"Who else would it be? So, this is Ezra?" Replied Jes, peeking over his teammates shoulder to look at Ezra.

"I am. You've heard of me?" Asked Ezra warily. If they knew her, then this was a bad sign.

"We know you're the Light Champion. This makes you Formora's problem, and not ours. Lucky for you, since I've been _dying_ for some new toys—" Fiona was cut off yet again by Westley.

"Let Formora handle her. Right now, we have places to be. Jes, you come with me to the Stairs. Fi and Axel, you two hold them off." Ordered Westley as he and Jes raced off, leaving the other two behind.

"Aye aye captain." Muttered Axel as Fiona unleashed an unexpected Hydro Pump. Unable to go anywhere, Ezra was forced to take it, and promptly fainted. She revived a second later, much to the exasperation of their foes.

"Reviver Seeds! Ugh, those are for the weak. I was hoping that the Light's Chosen would put up much more of a fight." Sighed Fiona wistfully as she slammed an Aqua Tail down on Ezra, who dodged at the last second.

Carys hit Fiona with Shadow Sneak, but the attack didn't seem to faze the Milotic much. She ducked low to the ground, allowing Axel to shoot off a Mud Bomb at Ezra, who was busy charging up a Night Shade. The attack sent her crashing back into Carys.

"Is that all you got?" Taunted Axel as the two ghost-types picked themselves up again.

"Argh! We're never going to stop them! They only need to stall us until Westley and Jes can get to the Stairs." Stormed Carys.

"Then I guess we'll need to catch up with them. Remember, we're ghost-types, and they're not." Grinned Ezra at her.

"Hey! Eyes on the enemy!" Called Fiona, slashing her tail impatiently.

"Bye." Replied Ezra as she and Carys phased into the walls.

"Hey!" "That's cheating!" Stormed their foes as Team Banshee snuck past them and towards where the Stairs were located.

They arrived at the room, only to find Westley and Jes already there.

"Stop!" Cried Ezra, launching a Hex. The two easily sidestepped the attack, and combined their ultimate attacks into one giant Hydro Cannon. Ezra and Carys were unable to dodge in time, and were hit with enough power to make both of them faint.

Ezra revived just in time to see Fiona standing in front of her. One more Hydro Pump, and all went black again. This time, it stayed black.

She woke up hurting all over. Her head swam, and moving sent a wave of fresh agony down her spine. She had to wait until the pain subsided in order to get up. What surprised her was that she and Carys were lying _outside_ Dappled Pond, instead of _in_ it.

"Carys…"Said Ezra, nudging her friend.

"Mmmmm…" Mumbled Carys. A harsher nudge and she was up. "Ah! That hurt!"

"Sorry. We're outside the dungeon." Ezra reported.

"What? …..Oh noooooo, we used all our Reviver Seeds! We were kicked out of the dungeon!" Wailed Carys, frantically looking in their bag. "And we lost half our items too! I don't have my Special Band anymore."

"Oh. _Oh._" Fretted Ezra. They hadn't been kicked out of a dungeon since….since they tried to tackle The Wind, all those weeks ago.

"Ugh. No matter, we can easily restock on supplies. Let's just go home, I guess." Carys sighed, dejected at how their mission turned out.

**Lily Town**

Battered and exhausted, Team Banshee painfully trudged their way home. They dragged themselves through town, into the Lofts, and up the Stairs, where they finally collapsed in a bruised heap.

"Oh my gosh! Team Banshee! What happened?" Exclaimed Rose, getting up from her chair and coming over to kneel beside them.

"Went to take down some members of the Dark…Didn't go as planned." Winced Ezra, taking Rose's offered hand and standing.

"Ouch. I'm sorry." Winced Seadra.

"You poor things. Come, you need rest." Tutted Rose as she led the two to their room.

Like a mother to her children, she tucked the two into bed.

"I'll have Franziska bring you dinner later. You two just relax and heal." Said Rose as she left them.

Grateful to have a few moments to get their wits about them, the two dozed off for an hour or so. Later, Chrysi and Rose came by with two small collapsible tables and some soup. Ezra and Carys eagerly downed the rich food, and settled back down for more sleep.

**And we begin chapter 10 with a very short filler chapter! Let the anticlimactic battle show just how powerful Team Leviathan are. **

**We're getting close to the end of the main story :o Oh boy.**

**Team Leviathan belong to me. Bonus points if you can guess who the four are based off of. Hint: they come from the same source.**

**The next post shall contain: Good news, a new dungeon, and…..a trick?**


	47. Chapter 47

Ezra woke to being violently shaken by Trina.

"Hwhaaaa...?" She said, jarred out of a dream in which she saved the world and lived happily ever after. It was a pleasant dream, and the last thing she remembered before being awoken was staring up at the night sky with a glowing crescent moon, all fears forgotten.

"Ezra! Carys! Wake up! Team Siren's back!" Trina exclaimed, going to shake Carys awake as well.

"What?" Both Pokemon chorused, suddenly wide awake. Meloetta had said they wouldn't return until they found a Shard. Did they actually…?

They raced out of their room and out of the building. The other residents, minus Franziska, were doing the same thing. They all headed to the town square, where to everyone's astonishment, Team Siren stood. Meloetta looked much better than she had when they left. She stood up straighter, her eyes clear, and was even smiling a little. Ranna and Dyrim also looked pleased. As Team Banshee arrived, the trio turned to look at them.

"Oh, there you two are! We have a present for you!" Beamed Meloetta, reaching into their bag and pulling out a Shard.

"You actually did it." Marveled Ezra, taking the relic. This time, a great feeling of calm settled over her, and she envisioned herself levitating objects with her mind.

"Well? Tell us all about it!" Demanded Pancham.

"We explored many dungeons, looking for Shards, but we couldn't find any. We started thinking about where they'd be, and if there was any pattern to where they had been located." Began Ranna.

"Soon we realized that the relics were hidden in type-specific dungeons! The water Shard was in Dappled Pond, the fire Shard in Rumbling Volcano…..and so on." Continued Dyrim.

"With that in mind, we then focused our sights on dungeons where there was only one main type present in the foes. We traveled long and far, and came to a dungeon called Calm Spring. It's famous for being so silent, you can hear your own heartbeat. It's a popular place for psychic types to meditate and practice their abilities. The foes were all psychic-types, and when we came to the end, we found a psychic Shard!" Ended Meloetta, smiling widely.

"You three did an amazing job." Rose said, coming to hug the trio.

"Meloetta….how are you?" Chrysi asked softly. Meloetta knew what she meant, and her face grew more solemn.

"I'm…..better. No, really, I am. I think I just needed some time out in the field, away from everyone else except my teammates. I had some time to think, and while I'm still sad about Glace leaving me, I know I can't let it distract me from my life. Going on explorations again…it helped me focus. We're going to go out again soon to look for more Shards; anything to help Ezra and Voice." She explained. "In the meantime, we are _starving_."

"Well, good thing for you three is that Franziska's almost done with breakfast. It should be ready in a few minutes." Laughed Pelipper.

"Awesome." Ranna sighed in bliss as the crowd dispersed.

Ezra and Carys also turned to leave, but a tug on Ezra's arm made her turn around. Seeing her friend turn, Carys turned around as well. They saw Hoopa standing behind them.

"I have good news for you two! I looked around the continent last night, and I found not one, but _two_ Shards! And the best part is, they're in the same dungeon!" He grinned, hula-hooping.

"You're kidding!" Exclaimed Ezra. Two Shards in the same dungeon? This was too good to be true.

"Nope! Look!" Hoopa took his hoop, and showed them it. On the other side of the hoop was the image of two Shards lying together. The area seemed rocky and mountainous.

"Wow, you weren't kidding. Can you get them for us?" Carys asked eagerly. But Hoopa shook his head and wagged a finger at them.

"And do your job for you? No way! You two are the explorers; if you want them, go get them yourself! The dungeon is called Mountain Retreat. It's on the southeastern side of the realm. It's 20 floors. Should be no problem for you two." He smiled, now playing ring toss with his horns.

Ezra sighed. It would be so much easier if Hoopa would get the Shards himself, but it was no use trying to argue with the trickster Pokemon.

"Fine." She agreed.

After breakfast, the two set out for the dungeon.

* * *

**Mountain Retreat ( watch?v=WaWdGINrc5U)**

Shortly before noon, the duo arrived at the base of the mountain. They were in the middle of a small mountain range in the middle of scenic nowhere. The day was starting to get cloudy, threatening rain.

"Well, we're here." Announced Ezra unnecessarily. "Let's do this. 20 floors isn't too bad."

"Yup yup." Agreed Carys, nodding.

**1F**

The terrain was rocky, of course. The floor was made of speckled brown-and-white pebbles that were worn smooth by countless Pokemon walking over them. The walls were made of tan stone, with tiny cracks here and there. It was dim in here, so dim that they had only about 20 feet of visibility. Luckily, they had a living candle with them to light the way.

They were walking down a corridor when a Dustox came into their limited view. Upon seeing them, it flinched, startled by the unexpected encounter. Taking advantage, Ezra KO'd it with one Flame Burst.

"Child's play." She shrugged.

**2F**

**Weather Condition: Cloudy**

The sky overhead suddenly became very cloudy, further diminishing the light in the dungeon.

"Great, now our attacks won't be as strong." Grumbled Ezra, looking up.

"On the plus side, neither will the enemies'." Said Carys, ever the optimist. She went to head for the exit, but accidentally activated a trap.

"Ooh, what's that one?" Asked Ezra, peeking over Carys' shoulder. It was a trap she'd never seen before. It had a big red 'X' on it.

"A Seal Trap. I can't use one of my moves for the rest of the floor." Informed Carys.

"Which one is it?" Inquired Ezra.

"Let's see." Said Carys as she sent out razor-sharp leaves towards the wall. They clattered harmlessly to the floor upon impact.

"Razor Leaf's good. Now try Trick-or-Treat." Suggested Ezra. Carys tried, but for some reason, she couldn't get the candy to appear. It seemed this was the blocked attack.

"How _dare_ you deny me candy!" Screamed an enraged Carys at the trap.

**3F**

They spawned in with a Breloom and the Stairs. Fortunately, the latter was only two feet away from where they were standing. The Breloom was 15 feet away.

"Denied!" Called Carys as they ascended.

**4F**

"Aaaaaaand, Hex!" Shouted Ezra, dispatching the Sawk they had been fighting. The thing had been very tough, always quick to block their attacks. But, it couldn't keep dodging forever.

"Ugh, finally!" Carys said, flopping down to ground to rest a moment. They had managed to back the Sawk into a corner, sealing its fate.

Meanwhile, Ezra headed to the other side of the room they were in to pick up some Poke. As she walked alongside the wall, however, the ground gave way underneath her. She groaned, expecting a trap. Yet, oddly, nothing happened. Confused, she looked down, and nearly jumped out of her wax to see that a set of Stairs had appeared underneath her feet!

"Carys! There are Stairs here!" She called over to her friend, who came over to see what she was talking about.

"Whoa. Never seen that happen before." She whistled at the set of Stairs leading downwards. In this dungeon, the Stairs had always been leading _up_.

"Should we descend?" Asked Ezra.

"Did you even need to ask?" Replied Carys as they went down.

**Secret Bazaar**

They found themselves in what appeared to be a small bazaar. There were a few shopkeepers with various items set up on carpets behind them. A Kirlia was walking over to them. They braced themselves, expecting a fight.

"Welcome, explorers! I'm Kirlia." The Kirlia introduced, curtseying.

"Uh…..where are we?" Asked Ezra after an awkward moment.

"You're in a Secret Bazaar! We set up secret shops all over dungeons. You've found our current location! Congrats!" Kirlia beamed. "Feel free to look around. I'll be right here if you need anything."

"What kind of shops are there here?" Inquired Carys, looking at the brightly colored carpets and the wares atop them.

"Over there is Mime Jr.'s Spa," Said Kirlia, pointing to the southwest corner, "where you can replenish your health and stamina! To the immediate right of that is Swalot, who sells grab bags for 100 Poke. You never know what's in your grab bag! To the north of him is Lickilicky, who cleans any sticky items you have. And finally, right above Mime Jr., is Shedinja, who will beam you out of the dungeon, should you wish to leave. All services cost 100 Poke. We do not buy items, unfortunately."

"We only have 99 Poke." Winced Carys, who was staring wistfully at Swalot's grab bags.

"Ooh, I'm sorry. Maybe next time." Frowned Kirlia in sympathy.

"Maybe. Uh, how can we get back into the dungeon?" Asked Ezra.

"There's a set of Stairs right there. They'll take you to 5F of Mountain Retreat." Kirlia pointed to the south, where a set of Stairs indeed lay.

"Thanks. Farewell." Ezra nodded as they exited the odd bazaar.

**5F**

"That was….strange." She said as they spawned on the next floor.

"It was certainly unexpected. Speaking of unexpected, there are two Cacturne coming in to say hi." Agreed Carys, nodding to the north of the chamber.

Ezra turned just in time to be hit by an Iron Thorn.

"Ow!" She howled, wincing as she pulled the thorn out of her side. She threw a Gravelrock back at the Cacturne with the ammo. The other Cacturne was dead set on Carys, who was shooting Razor Leaves at it, to little avail.

"I could use a fire-type." She said, dodging a Faint Attack. Ezra stopped lobbing Gravelrocks just long enough to KO the other Cacturne with Flame Burst. Carys had weakened it enough so that one super effective attack did the trick.

Meanwhile, Ezra and her foe seemed to have an unspoken agreement. Neither Pokemon tried to dodge the throwing items; they only endured the blows. They had entered a silent endurance battle. For what seemed like hours, each Pokemon took turns throwing their ammo at each other, never taking their eyes off their foe. Finally, after throwing her last Gravelrock, the Cacturne was defeated. It was fortunate, as Ezra was only one hit away from fainting herself. It was a good thing she had stocked up on Oran berries.

**6F**

"Red Gummi!" Shrieked Ezra in delight as she spied a Red Gummi in the chamber they were about to arrive in. She raced out of the corridor, into the chamber, and straight into a Warp Trap.

"Whyyyyyyyyyyy?" She turned her shriek into a howl, angry at the universe as she found herself a small chamber she hadn't been through before. Lately, the universe seemed to take perverse pleasure in having her encounter Warp Traps. It was getting very annoying. Oh well. There wasn't anything to do except find either Carys or the Stairs. Hopefully Carys had picked up the Gummi for her, and didn't eat it.

**7F**

Ezra was having a lot of fun. Every foe that had met on this floor was weak to her. Every Breloom, Cacturne, Ariados, and Dustox that came into her range stood no chance against the powerful fire-type. Even if the foe somehow survived her initial Flame Burst, Carys was right behind her to mop up the defeat with Shadow Sneak. They were unstoppable. It was glorious. Almost as glorious as eating the Red Gummi Carys had thoughtfully saved for her once they had found each other again on the previous floor.

**8F**

"Stains! Wait, no, that's not right. Stamps! ….No. Stakes! Argh!" Howled Carys, exasperated with herself.

"Come on, Miss Wordsmith, we have a job to do." Said Ezra, dragging Carys over to the Stairs.

**9F**

As they entered a new chamber, they found a seed they had never encountered before. Upon closer inspection, it was a Hunger Seed. Such a seed could never be willingly eaten, for it instantly drained all the stamina from the victim, leaving him or her immobilized with hunger until he or she ate something.

"…I wanna try it." Ezra said. Carys—rightfully—looked at her like she was insane. "We have food! I can easily get rid of the effects!"

"…..I guess so." Carys said after a moment, still looking—and sounding—wary.

"Okay. Here I go." Said Ezra, taking a deep breath before eating the seed.

Immediately, she felt all of her strength evaporate, leaving her a starving husk of a Litwick. She was sooooooooo hungry….but she couldn't move a muscle. It was actually terrifying, not being in control of your own body. She stared fearfully at Carys, trying to send a message with her eye. Fortunately, Carys was on it. She slipped an apple in between Ezra's lips, and forced her to bite down. She swallowed the bite, and it was as if a switch had been turned. Ezra fell to the floor, still starving, still being drained of health. She clutched the apple to chest as if it was the last thing she'll ever eat. After a moment, she wolfed the entire thing down.

She got back up again, breathing heavily. Carys raised one eyebrow at her.

"Never. Again." Was her only response.

**10F**

After lots of exploring, they finally found the Stairs. Only problem was, there was a Throh in the way. Luckily, this species knew only fighting- or normal-type moves, which held very little effect on ghost-types. It was just very good at delaying the inevitable. Almost immediately, it used Endure, then Bide. Now they couldn't even attack it, as the combo would prove to be their downfall if they chose to attack.

Carys summoned up hordes of candy, turning the Throh into a ghost/fighting-type. It was now weak to their ghost-type moves. Then, they simply waited for Bide and Endure to end. While they were waiting, Carys was stuffing herself with the leftover candy. Finally, Throh unleashed the attack, only to do no damage to them whatsoever.

Quickly, Carys hammered it with Confuse Ray, rendering it harmless temporarily. Taking full advantage, they Hexed and Shadow Snuck it until it fainted. It only took two Hexes and one Shadow Sneak to end it.

—**Waypoint—**

Quite unexpectedly, they found themselves in a waypoint area.

"Uh…." Trailed Ezra, suddenly apprehensive. "Hoopa didn't say anything about a waypoint…."

"And waypoints usually indicate that a boss is up ahead….." Agreed Carys, warily looking around as she touched the Kangaskhan statue in the center of the room.

"Hoopa is a friend." Ezra said aloud, trying to quell her growing fear with ration. "He wouldn't knowingly send us into danger….right?"

**I thought adding in the Secret Bazaars every so often would be fun. Have you guys noticed that I'm decreasing the Spawn with Stairs: Total Floor Number ratio? It used to be 1/3 of the total number of floors in a dungeon would have the duo spawn in with Stairs, but now it's more 1/4 or 1/5. Too many easy floors, not enough danger. I needed to fix that. Don't tell Ezra and Carys.**

**The next post shall contain: The second half, two Shards, and a new quest.**


	48. Chapter 48

**High Mountain Retreat ( watch?v=tX4b37e3Cqg)**

**1F**

The terrain had changed somewhat, but still retained its rocky aspect. Now the floor was made of smooth sandstone, and the walls a deep dark brown with small crystals here and there. For a split second, the crystals on the wall appeared to be in the shape of crescents. Ezra blinked, and the image seemed to disappear, leaving behind regularly-shaped crystals. There were small pools of water alongside some of the walls in the chamber as well.

"Okay…." Began Ezra, taking a good look around them. "It seems we'll have a boss fight at the end. We have ten floors to go, seeing as how waypoints evenly divide the dungeon in half. Hoopa was right about that; it _is_ 20 floors. But why would he leave out the fight that awaits us?"

"Well, yesterday he did say he was bored. And you know he likes to pull pranks. I think we just fell for one. He clearly expects us to fight at the end; so something's guarding those two Shards. It'd be just like him to not tell us those Shards were being guarded." Speculated Carys thoughtfully as they got going.

"Regardless, I have the feeling we're in for a tough match. How many Reviver Seeds do we have?" Asked Ezra cautiously as she led the way into a corridor.

"Four." Reported Carys a moment later.

"Well. I'd say that gives us an edge over our mysterious opponent." Ezra looked back at her friend with a hard smile. If Hoopa wanted them to battle, she'd _give_ him the best battle he ever saw. She had no doubt he was watching them through his hoop, even now.

**2F**

They were wandering through the floor when they came across a Kecleon Shop.

"Sup?" He greeted.

"What do you have?" Asked Ezra, peering down at the wares.

"Uh, I have an apple, an Itemizer Orb, a Pecha Berry, and a Black Gummi." The Kecleon informed them.

"What does an Itemizer Orb do?" Inquired Carys curiously.

"It turns an enemy Pokemon into a random item." Replied Kecleon.

"Really? I gotta see that. How much?" Guffawed Carys.

"200." Responded the shopkeeper.

"….Ooh! We have 203! We'll take it!" Beamed Carys.

The money was exchanged for the orb, and the two explorers bid the Kecleon adieu.

**3F**

They were nonchalantly walking through a chamber when a Golem spontaneously spawned nearby. Not really wanting to deal with it, Ezra threw an X-Eye Seed at it. To her utter surprise, it actually _caught_ the seed. Then it threw it right back at her.

Suddenly, her entire vision changed. Carys and the Golem turned into decoys, while the floor changed to become a grassy plain with flowers everywhere. The walls turned brighter, colorful. She was very confused. What had just happened?

_Oh, _she realized, _these are the effects of the X-Eye Seed. Huh. So this is what it's like. _

She didn't want to accidentally attack Carys, so she sat back and watched the decoys battle. One of them defeated the other and was walking towards her. She braced, not knowing who it was. When the decoy was only a few feet away, her vision changed again, this time to revert back to normal. She blinked the rest of the effects away, and breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that the decoy was Carys.

"So, how was it?" Inquired the Pumpkaboo.

"Trippy. You all became decoys, and the room turned into a happy flower field." Ezra informed. Carys laughed.

**4F**

They came across a Dustox as they were walking down a corridor. Ezra started to prepare a Flame Burst, but a nudge from Carys stopped her.

"Can you try the Itemizer Orb on it?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure." Shrugged Ezra, lobbing the orb at the foe. There was a bright flash, then the Dustox was nowhere to be seen. In its place, however, was a Sleep Seed.

"Bahahahahahah! You just….haha….turned a Dustox…..into a Sleep Seed!" Guffawed Carys between spasms of laughter.

Ezra, meanwhile, wasn't sure what to think. She just turned a living creature into an inanimate object. She felt….weird. It was almost like she killed something.

"Ha….don't feel bad about, Ez. Dungeon Pokemon are specifically designed to attack. Their entire life's purpose is to fight anyone who tries to come through. They're not….normal. You just saved that Dustox from a miserable life of nothing but fighting. No love, no companionship, just fighting. You did it a favor." Carys said, noticing her friend's face.

"…I guess. …Let's just move on." Said Ezra, trying to put the event out of her mind. She absentmindedly put the seed in the bag, and pressed on.

**5F**

"Flame Burst!" Shouted Ezra, sending a volley of fire onto the Cacturne she was fighting. It went down, having already been weakened by her Ember. But as it fell, a Golem came to take its place.

Immediately, she traded places with Carys, as the latter was more adept at handling rock- and ground-types than she was. It seemed like every foe was heading straight for them, as they had fought enemy after enemy in this horrendously-long corridor that spanned the entire floor. It appeared to be a mile long, and they were only at the halfway point. There were no other corridors branching off, only the 90 degree turn at the end of this hall.

"Back to you, Ez." Said Carys, falling back as she defeated the Golem. Ezra switched places again and continued their arduous trek down the hall.

Up ahead, she could see a Throh turning the corner, heading straight toward her. Great. It was too far for Carys to Razor Leaf it, so she had to wait until they met.

It began with a Reversal, which wasn't terribly painful. She beat it with Hex, and smiled when Carys dove into the walls to hit it from the side with Confuse Ray. After that, taking it down was a piece of cake.

**6F**

"I ever mention how much I love you?" Carys asked the Stairs, which were located just a scant five feet away from their spawning point. The Stairs did not answer. It was too shy.

**7F**

**Weather Condition: Rain**

"Ah!" Shrieked Ezra in distaste as it started raining. As always, she tried to protect her flame, but her arms were too short to do anything useful. Her flame hissed whenever a raindrop landed on it.

"I don't mean to _rain on your parade_, but we have company!" Beamed Carys, nodding at an Ariados that was entering the chamber. Ezra turned to look at Carys in utter annoyance.

"Just for that awful pun, _you_ get to fight it." She informed, throwing Carys at the foe.

"Whaaaaaaa—hey, it's holding a See-Trap Orb!—aaaa!" Wailed Carys as she soared through the air, only to crash into the startled Ariados.

Ezra turned her back on the two, looking for some shelter from the rain. In truth, it was only a light shower, but water was her natural enemy, being half fire-type. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of scuffle. She heard Carys launch a Razor Leaf, heard the Ariados chitter in pain, heard Carys grunt as the enemy counterattacked. She ignored the sounds, focused only on finding shelter. Alas, the walls were entirely smooth. She was forced to be in the rainfall.

Steeling herself for a miserable floor, she turned to see Carys, looking battered, walking up to her.

"Did it." She said unceremoniously, holding out the See-Trap Orb.

"Good job. Have an Oran Berry." Said Ezra, cracking a smile.

"You don't need to tell me twice." Carys snorted, rooting around their bag for the berry.

**8F**

After much walking and many battles, Ezra and Carys eventually found the Stairs. What was infuriating, however, was that the chamber with the Stairs was right next to their spawn point. They had taken the wrong route. As they walked up to the Stairs, a nagging feeling kept playing in the back of Ezra's head. Something didn't seem quite right…

"Hold on." She said, holding out a hand to bar Carys' way. She scanned the area slowly. She was only a step away from the Stairs, but she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was off…..

She warily reached into their bag, staring intently at the space in front of her. She pulled out the See-Trap Orb, and silently broke it. Almost immediately, the ground in front of her gave way to reveal a Warp Trap. One more step, and she would've fallen for it. Again.

"Hah!" She gloated, skirting around the trap. "Not _this_ time, universe!"

**9F**

As soon as she took a step, however, she triggered a Warp Trap.

When she respawned, she let out a string of colorful, choice words and phrases. There was a sleeping Breloom nearby, and in her fury, she attacked it with a Flame Burst.

Startled out of its sleep, the Breloom dazedly hit her with Mega Drain, which wasn't so draining after all. One more angry Flame Burst, and it was down. Feeling slightly better, Ezra stalked off to go find her teammate.

**10F**

"Last floor." Breathed Ezra as they spawned in.

"And we have Stairs!" Carys agreed, nodding to her left, where the Stairs lay.

Ezra took a deep breath, feeling adrenaline course through her. She didn't know what awaited them on the next floor, but she couldn't let fear of the unknown prevent her from completing their mission. They had been tasked to find the Shards.

They would not fail.

**Mountain Retreat Peak**

The area they arrived at was more like the first half of the dungeon in terms of terrain. Pebbles sank under their weight, and the walls were a smooth tan. They had come to the top of the mountain, as were now underneath the sky again. It was well after noon, to their surprise. They had been journeying longer than they'd thought.

"Look." Nudged Carys, looking at something in the center of the giant peak. There, completely unguarded, lay the two Shards Hoopa had shown them.

"It's awfully quiet." Remarked Ezra, gazing around the area. No one else was around, and the mountain was completely devoid of places to hide. It was completely open.

"Hopefully the guardian's out to lunch or something. Come on, let's grab 'em and get outta here before the boss returns." Suggested Carys, walking up to the two relics.

Ezra hesitated, then followed. They did seem to catch a lucky break.

Just as Ezra was about to touch the Shards, a voice rang out.

"Stop!"

Ezra and Carys looked around, but didn't see anyone.

"Oh, sorry. Let me reappear for you." Said the voice. In front of them, a ball of light appeared, then disappeared to reveal a small, floating, pink Pokemon. It had short limbs and a long, winding tail.

"Hello, Team Banshee! I've been expecting you!" He beamed, coming to float in front of them.

"Who are you? And how do you know us?" Demanded Carys.

"I'm Mew! Hoopa told me you were coming. He said, 'The Champion of Light and her best friend are coming for your Shards'. I said, 'Oh, okay. But that's too easy. I'll test them first! If they can defeat me, then they can have the Shards'. He said, 'Ohhh, good idea! I'd love to see them fight you! They'll be here tomorrow'. And here we are!" Said the Pokemon.

"'Mew'? You're a legendary! But….whose side are you on?" Asked Ezra warily.

"The Light, of course! I like fun, but the Dark likes….what's the opposite of fun? Unfun? Anyway, I spent the past two months finding Shards so I can give them to the Champion of Light! Two months, and I only found two. But that's okay! Hoopa told me this morning, 'They have seven already. With the two you have, they'll have over half the Shards they need'! Oh! That reminds me, I know where one more Shard is! But you have to defeat me in order for me to tell you." Mew grinned mischievously.

Ezra sighed. Leave it to Hoopa to force them into playing his game.

"Fine." She agreed grudgingly.

**Boss Battle…**

"I've heard rumors about Mew before. He's insanely powerful. They say he's the original ancestor of every single Pokemon—minus the Lake and Creation Trio and their master—known. He's _the_ creator of Pokemon. That means everyone—even me—is distantly related to him. Be very careful." Carys whispered to Ezra as Mew waited for them to start.

"Impressive." Whistled Ezra in admiration. This tiny Pokemon is the ancient ancestor of all Pokemon?

"Hey! You want the Shards or not?" Called Mew, doing a backflip.

"One sec!" Called Ezra. To Carys, she said, "Double Team Special?"

Carys nodded. "I'll keep him busy."

The Pumpkaboo turned to Mew, and shouted, "Trick-or-Treat!" Hordes of candy instantly surrounded both Pokemon. Mew looked at the candy surrounding him curiously. He didn't seem to notice Ezra as she snuck behind him.

"Ooh, candy! Thank you!" He beamed, taking a piece of chocolate and eating it.

Seeing an opportunity, Ezra sent out the red waves of energy that was Night Shade over towards Mew. To her surprise, he dodged the attack, even though his back was turned.

"I saw you sneaking behind me! If you want tricks, then here!" He giggled, setting up a Barrier in front of Carys. He flew behind the opaque wall, preventing Ezra from seeing what he was doing.

When the Barrier fell, Ezra gaped to see two Carys' standing next to each other.

"He used Transform to turn into me. He's the fake me." Said the Carys on the left, nodding at the other.

"No! You're the fake Carys! Ezra, you have to believe me!" Stormed the other Carys. Each Pumpkaboo had a bag slung over their shoulder, and each sounded like the real Carys. Ezra looked back and forth at each Pumpkaboo, thoroughly confused. Which one was the real Carys…?

She walked up to the two Pokemon, studying each one intensely.

"Alright," she said, pacing back and forth. "one of you is real, and the other is not. Now, there is one thing that only the real Carys would know. So, I am going to ask you a single question. Carys 1," she said, facing the Carys on the left, "When I say 'Blue Gummi, what do you think of?"

"Watermelon." Carys 1 answered promptly.

"Okay. Carys 2?"

"Watermelon!" Said the Carys on the right.

Immediately, Ezra Hexed the Carys on the right. "She" glowed white, then turned back into Mew.

"How'd you know it was me?" He asked, shaking his head.

"Blue Gummis are a private joke between Carys and I. No one else knows about it. That includes you. So, when the real Carys spoke, she said the correct answer. You knew it was the correct answer, so you said the same thing." Explained Ezra, crossing her arms.

"Oooooh, I see! Nice job! But, you still haven't defeated me! Your Trick-or-Treat helped, but I'm not done yet!" Mew laughed, waggling his fingers.

"Metronome! Look out!" Shouted Carys as Mew unleashed a Thunder attack. They barely managed to dodge the devastating attack. Mew was tiny, but powerful.

As Ezra recovered from the dodge, she was hit with an Aura Sphere. Being a fighting-type move, the damage was almost nullified, but since it came from Mew, the damage was as if she _wasn't_ a ghost-type. She was sent sprawling across the mountaintop, landing roughly in the ground. She lay there for a second, dazed and senses flooded with pain. She heard a shout and the sound of something getting smacked, then Carys was lying next to her as well.

Ezra pulled herself up, and looked up to see Mew crossing his arms and looking solemn.

"Ezra, if you're truly this weak, then you'll never defeat _Him_ and save us all." He chided.

"I am strong!" She shouted, sending out a Night Shade.

Mew dove out of the way, and launched another Aura Sphere at her. This time, Ezra sent out Flame Burst, meeting the attack halfway and creating an explosion in between the two battlers. The smoke cleared suddenly, and Mew's Defog—courtesy of Metronome—ended.

"Not bad." He said mildly as his next Metronome turned out to be Lock-On. Something seemed to have changed within him. He was no longer the childish Pokemon they had met just scant minutes ago.

Ezra tensed. His next attack was guaranteed to hit her. He started up Metronome again, and this time, it was Razor Wind. Mew charged up power, ready to knock her out.

"You forgot something, you know." Ezra said conversationally. Mew's face bunched up, confused.

"What?" He asked.

"Me." Grinned Carys as she hit him with Confuse Ray from behind. He had been so focused on Ezra, he didn't notice Carys had gotten up and was sneaking up on him.

Now that Mew was vulnerable, Ezra threw the Sleep Seed that was once a Dustox at him. Unable to dodge, he was forced to go to sleep. Taking advantage, Team Banshee unleashed all of their ghost-type attacks on him. Eventually, he woke up, and snapped out of his confusion at the same time.

"Enough!" He yelled, Metronoming into Waterfall, instantly KOing Ezra as he blasted them away. She was revived a second later.

"That….wasn't a bad play at all." Mew panted, grinning wickedly at them. "But I'm still not finished just yet." With that, he glowed white once more. This time, he Transformed into a black Pokemon with a white head and red neck.

"Darkrai, the lord of nightmares." Said Carys. Ezra looked at her questioningly. "He's going to try and put us to sleep so he can drain our health by giving us nightmares."

"Is that all?" Ezra asked mockingly as Mew threw a purple sphere at them. She managed to dodge, but Carys wasn't so lucky.

Carys was caught and enveloped in the sphere, which dissipated to leave her trapped in slumber. From the look on her face, it wasn't a pleasant dream she was having.

"And now for the execute." Said Mew in a deep, gravelly voice—Darkrai's voice?—as a lavender aura surrounded him. Carys let out a scream, and the white light of a Reviver Seed surrounded her. When it left, she was awake and revitalized.

"Ugh, he used Dream Eater on me!" She winced.

"Let's not give him another chance to do so." Ezra said as she shot off Flame Burst at Mew.

He tanked the attack, and dove at her with Faint Attack. She didn't try to dodge. She had a feeling something good was about to happen.

She didn't scream as he hit her, sending her crashing into the dirt and creating a small crater. She didn't mind, though. She thought she had felt her flame singe him.

"Ez!" Called Carys, helping her out of the hole she created. Carys handed her an Oran Berry, and a shout from Mew made them turn.

"Ah! You burned me!" He wailed, gripping his arm. He glowed white, then turned back to Mew. The burn was still on his arm, and it was obvious it was causing him distress.

"That's what you get when you play with fire. You get burned." Ezra told him coolly, hitting him with a Stun Seed.

Paralyzed and burned, Mew was forced to take attack after attack. Carys nailed him with Confuse Ray after her fourth Shadow Sneak, and one last Hex from Ezra sent the legendary crumpling to the floor.

* * *

"Augh! No more! You win!" He wailed as they came closer.

He tried to pick himself up, but collapsed instead. Ezra handed him an Oran Berry, and he was immediately strengthened. He started levitating again, and shook his head.

"That was…intense. Good job. You definitely earned those Shards." He said, laughing ruefully.

"What types are they?" Asked Ezra as Carys turned to pick them up.

"Fighting and ghost. ….Wow, I'm going to have quite the headache tomorrow! You guys are tough." Mew exclaimed, holding a hand to his head. "But I'm glad you beat me. It's good to know that the Light's Chosen is powerful enough to defeat me, and I'm no pushover."

"You said you knew where another Shard is?" Pressed Ezra as Carys came over to join them.

"Yes. You see, there are those of us who knew about your arrival long before you ever came here. There are two legendaries who are the closest things we have to leaders ever since _He_ came into power. These two legendaries have taken measures to ensure that you're strong enough to face _Him _in battle. I believe one of these legends will be contacting you soon." Mew explained.

"Yes, I was told that a mysterious lady will be speaking to me. Do you know her? Who is she?" Peppered Ezra. She was sick of being kept in the dark.

"I know who she is, but I have been sworn to silence. I'm sorry." Mew sighed. Ezra drooped.

"There's another thing," Mew went on, "Before she speaks to you, there's something you must do first."

"What is it?" Ezra asked warily.

"There's a dungeon named Canyon Cliff, on the eastern side of the continent. At the end of the dungeon is a test. If you pass, another dungeon called Clifftop Resort will appear. At the end of that dungeon, you will be fully recognized as the hope of the Light. It's at the end of Clifftop Resort that the next Shard lies. After you become certified, all of your questions will be answered. Including your desire to learn who Voice is." Mew said with a knowing smile.

Ezra paused for a moment. So, she had to go through a dungeon, pass a test, travel through another dungeon, and become certified? What did that mean?

"I'm still confused. What's this test I'll have to pass? And how will I become 'recognized' or whatever?" She asked slowly, frowning up at Mew.

"I'm not at liberty to say. All I can say is….pay attention to detail, wherever you go. As for the recognition ceremony….you'll know what to do. Apologies. You know how it goes, the hero is always kept ignorant until the time is right." Mew shrugged uncomfortably.

Ezra sighed. "Well, thanks anyway. It's more than what we knew when we came in here. …I guess we should start thinking about heading home. It'll be dinnertime when we get back." She said, looking up at the sky.

"Thank you for showing your power to me. You are a worthy adversary. Before you go….I must warn you. Canyon Cliff…it's no ordinary dungeon. It's the first and only of its kind. She took great pains to keep its secrets safe from the Dark…..You'll find yourself being tested in ways you could never imagine at every turn. Be very careful." Mew said gravely.

"Will do. Thanks, Mew. Bye bye." Nodded Ezra as they turned to leave.

"Fare thee well." Mew raised his head in acknowledgement as the two Pokemon left for home.

**You guys will enjoy the next post, which contains: The Canyon Cliff, which has its own rules, a waypoint boss battle, and the test.**

**Also, I think I'll only add music to boss battles against Team Renegade, instead of every battle. I like to think it makes it more dramatic, but if you guys want music for every boss battle, let me know.**


	49. Chapter 49

As soon as they got back to Lily Town, they marched straight to Neal's place and dragged Hoopa out of the store.

"Why didn't you tell us Mew was guarding the Shards?" Ezra demanded of him. He had the audacity to grin at her.

"What difference would it have made? You two always set out with multiple Reviver Seeds. Plus, it was good for you to be surprised. You're not omniscient, you know. But most of all, you knew I was bored! You know I get pranky when I'm bored. Anyways, you got the Shards, so I don't see the problem!" He beamed, hula hooping.

"Ergh. Just….try not to send us to our deaths next time you get bored, alright?" Ezra sighed, feeling the anger drain from her.

"Don't worry; if I won't ever intentionally send you into life-threatening danger." Hoopa said seriously.

With that out of the way, Team Banshee entered Rose's Lofts, where they were met with much camaraderie. They told the others what had happened and what they would do tomorrow, and after a hearty meal of pizza and ice cream, they settled off to bed, eager to start their journey early tomorrow.

It took some time for Ezra, who was excited by the prospect of having all her questions answered, to fall asleep, but eventually she drifted off into slumber.

_She was dreaming that she was on top of a large, ethereal tower. It was nighttime, and the crescent moon seemed to be shining directly upon her, bathing her in a silvery light._

"You did it,_" a woman's voice said from nowhere. It seemed to be coming from above, towards the moon, but no one was there. "_You saved the world, Ezra._" _

_She felt a great calm wash over her. She did it. She saved Voice, defeated Formora, and saved the world. She didn't have to worry about anything anymore. She was free to do whatever she wanted now. _

_She sat down, staring up at the sliver of moon up in the sky, admiring the stars. There were so many out tonight. If it weren't for her, there might not have been any stars left to admire. But yet there were, thanks to her. _

Ezra woke with a smile. That dream had been one of the best she'd ever had. It wasn't so much the details of it as it was the sense of complete _peace_ she had felt. She was loath to let that feeling go.

But today, today would be a good day. Today she was finally getting some answers. There were challenges lying between her and that moment, but she was confident she would overcome them. She was the Champion of Light, darn it. She could conquer _anything._

After a quick breakfast and a hasty goodbye, she and Carys set out for Canyon Cliff.

* * *

**Canyon Cliff ( watch?v=plXeYbyN-V4)**

They had journeyed through a large canyon with walls as high as a Groudon. Every so often, they came across a fossil of a leaf or flower. It was astounding, Ezra thought, to think that nature could preserve her children for thousands of years. She wondered if, somewhere, there were fossils of actual Pokemon. She'd love to see one, to have an inkling of what Pokemon in the past looked like.

Gradually, the walls started narrowing, until they eventually joined together to create a distorted U. On the canyon floor, where Ezra and Carys were, was a small cave entrance where the walls had fused together. It seemed they had arrived.

"I think this is it." Ezra said, looking up at the sheer rock wall in front of her.

"You ready to face whatever's in there?" Asked Carys, looking apprehensive.

"Ready as I'll ever be. Come on, we have answers to find."

**1F**

The terrain was dark and spooky. The floor was made of gray stone and the walls an almost-black color. The air was chilly and damp, and there wasn't much natural light. They also had the sense that they weren't alone.

"Do you…feel as if we're being watched?" Ezra asked warily, scanning the area for threats. They were currently alone, but that could change at any time.

"Yeah." Carys nodded, sounding equally cautious.

"_Oh, but you are." _Said a disembodied voice, making the two jump. It sounded feminine.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Demanded Ezra, making her flame rise higher. She looked all around them, but no one was there.

"_In good time," _Said another voice, this one male. "_This is _our_ dungeon. We've been tasked to test the Champion of Light and her companion. I understand you two are the ones we are to fight. Well, friends, let me tell you: you will _not _make it out of here. We will destroy you!"_

"_You have six floors to traverse before you come to the waypoint. If you manage to make it there, we'll commence with the final fight. You only need to defeat us once in order to ascend. Good luck, heroes." _Said another female voice.

"Wait!" Called Carys, but no one responded.

"Ergh. It seems this is the first test." Scowled Ezra. "Come on, let's find these three and defeat them."

As if in answer, a loud roar came from somewhere on the floor. At short, regular intervals came small tremors, as if something large was bounding towards them.

"I think we need to run!" Yelled Ezra, not wanting to encounter whatever the thing was.

They ran out of the chamber at fast as they could, but the thumps grew louder, signaling that the thing that was after them was getting closer. They ran into a Druddigon in a corridor, but quickly defeated it with Hex and Shadow Sneak. They had no time to waste!

But though they sprinted through the dungeon, the monster eventually caught up to them.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWRRRRR!" It roared, coming to block their path in a chamber.

It was four-legged, and mainly yellow, with black stripes all over its body and a white belly. It had long fangs, a purple cape, and a blue lightning bolt tail. It towered over them, glaring menacingly.

"Raikou!" Gasped Carys, seeing the monster.

"RAH!" It screamed, diving at them with Thunder Fang. They barely managed to leap out of the way. Ezra countered with Night Shade, but it didn't seem to faze the legendary. Turning its attention on her, it launched a mega-powerful Thunder at her. Knowing that one hit from the attack would knock her out, she instead dove straight at Raikou, and gripped its belly.

There she hung on, knowing that Raikou couldn't attack her while she was under it. It swung this way and that, trying to dislodge her. She clung on for dear life, allowing her flame to rise and singe the massive Pokemon. It howled in rage. With one great swipe of its paw, it knocked her off its belly, and sent her sprawling across the floor.

She picked herself up painfully, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest. How would they ever defeat such a magnificent foe…? She saw Raikou calmly stalk towards her. She readied a Flame Burst, watching it carefully.

Without warning, Raikou's eyes suddenly went wide, and it got a confused expression on its face. Carys popped out from behind it.

"I hit it with Confuse Ray! Come on!" She yelled, racing for the exit. Ezra gladly departed from the fight.

As they ran away from Raikou, they heard its roar of cheated rage. All too soon, they felt the _thump-thump_s that indicated it was bounding after them again. Team Banshee only increased their run into an all-out sprint.

They entered another chamber, where to their immense relief, the Stairs were located. Just as they began their climb, Raikou arrived.

They ascended to the next floor just as it dove at them.

**2F**

They fell to the floor, panting, trying to get their hearts to stop pounding so hard.

"One down….five to go…." Gasped Ezra, groaning, as she fell to the floor. Carys only moaned in displeasure.

They lay there for a few minutes, getting their wits about them again. Thankfully, nothing came to attack them. Eventually, Carys sat up.

"Let's get going. I want to find the Stairs before something else comes after us." She said grimly.

"Good idea. I thought we were supposed to fight legendaries at the _end_ of dungeons, not at the beginning!" Ezra agreed, standing up and leading the group.

"This dungeon _is_ supposed to be like no other." Sighed Carys, following her.

They wandered through the halls, defeating Dratinis, Houndooms, and other dragon- and dark-types. This dungeon appeared to be full of them.

A little later, Ezra stopped to pick up an apple. As she was leaning down, she felt something tackle her. She slid across the floor, surprised. As she looked to see her attacker, she saw only Carys, who was grinning maliciously.

"Carys! What was that for?!" She demanded, getting up.

"To defeat you, of course." Snickered Carys, and Ezra realized with horror that the Pumpkaboo standing before her was not Carys.

"What'd you do to Carys?" She demanded, launching a Hex. The fake Carys dodged.

"Don't worry, she's fine. At least, until the fake Ezra that's with her defeats her." Laughed the faux-Carys. Ezra scowled. At some point, the two fakes had separated them.

"I don't think I'll need this form anymore. It's too weak." The fake Carys said conversationally. She then disappeared. A second later, Ezra felt herself being picked up.

"Hey!" She protested, turning to see what was happening. A Gardevoir had appeared in the chamber, and was using Psychic to attack her. The Gardevoir slammed her down into the ground, knocking the breath out of her lungs.

"Divide and conquer; that's the best strategy of them all." The Gardevoir said, watching her as she got up.

"Wait….You're the third voice from the beginning!" Ezra accused, pointing an arm at the Gardevoir. (She didn't exactly have fingers…)

"Indeed. I am Wanda. I believe you met Diego on the previous floor. Now, it's time for me to finish what he began." The Gardevoir said, lifting Ezra up in Psychic again. She tensed, waiting for the drop.

Just as she was about to hit the floor, however, she felt herself being teleported away…

**3F**

Ezra found herself with Carys on a different floor.

"Carys!" "Ezra!" They exclaimed, embracing each other tearfully.

"Somehow, I got separated from you. A fake-Ezra was leading the way, when we found the Stairs. That's when she attacked me! She said that a fake me was with you, and that you were in trouble. So I ran for the Stairs, hoping that you were all right." Carys explained.

"Apparently the fake Team Banshee were just illusions. I met a Gardevoir named Wanda, who was the third voice from 1F. Apparently, that Raikou's name is Diego, and he's one of them. He must've been the second voice. …I think we need to constantly make sure that we're not led astray again. Every so often, let's ask each other things that only the real us would know. I'll start: Blue Gummi." Tested Ezra, not wanting to fall for another trap.

"Watermelon." Replied Carys, smiling.

Ezra sighed in relief. So far, she was with the real Carys.

"Oh! An easy floor! Thank Original One!" Wailed Carys, noticing that they had spawned with the Stairs.

But when they went to ascend them, the Stairs disappeared, leaving a Spiritomb in their place.

"Ah!" Carys shrieked, falling backwards in shock.

"Sorry about this." The Spiritomb apologized before blasting her with Dark Pulse.

Ezra recognized the voice. It was the first disembodied voice they had heard at the beginning.

"You're one of the voices!" She exclaimed, launching Flame Burst. The Spiritomb took the attack, but didn't fall. The Spiritomb closed her eyes, then after a moment she glowed blue for a second. She opened her eyes, and watched the two carefully.

"Ugh…She used Nasty Plot. Watch out for that Dark Pulse; it's super strong." Winced Carys, getting up to join Ezra.

"Who are you? Where are the other two?" Demanded Ezra, preparing an Ember.

"I'm Gaia. The others are around, watching us. As much as I want the Light's Chosen to succeed, I must try to prevent you from defeating us." The Spiritomb informed them, a red aura surrounding her, then Team Banshee.

"Memento…" Groaned Ezra, remembering the fight with Uxie. Oh well. At least Gaia was one hit away from fainting. Wanda had said they only needed to defeat the three once, after all.

Ezra went to use Ember, but the Spiritomb dodged and jumped into a wall. Carys started to go after her, but Ezra held her back.

"She's long gone; she won't stick around after nearly fainting. Come on, we need to get out of here before the other two show up." She said, taking one last look at the spot Gaia had disappeared to before walking out of the chamber with Carys.

"First dungeon we traversed?" Asked Carys after a moment.

"Joyful Forest." Responded Ezra. "Your favorite food?"

"Candy." Good, her partner was the real one.

The next room they arrived in, however, was enough to make them scream. All over the entire room were multiple sets of Stairs.

"Which one's the real one?!" Demanded a horrified Carys.

"I guess we'll have to find out. Come on!" Exclaimed Ezra, Hexing the nearest set. It promptly disappeared, leaving not a trace behind. Although she had been severely weakened by Memento, it seemed the illusions didn't have much endurance behind them.

They knew one of the trio was in here with them; the fact that there were tons of illusion-Stairs proved it. It was immensely creepy, having multiple sets of Stairs that could turn and attack at any second surround them. But they pressed on, trying to quell the growing sense of panic in them. They attacked every set of Stairs, each one disappearing as it was hit.

Behind them, they heard the roar of Diego. Turning, they saw him stalk slowly towards them. He didn't need to attack or speed up. His mere presence was enough to set them over the edge.

Screaming, the two doubled their efforts in finding the real Stairs. Over a hundred illusions were shattered before they finally found the real set.

**4F**

"I HATE THIS PLAAAAAACE!" Ezra raged at the top of her lungs.

"Do you now?" Asked a voice.

In front of them stood a Zoroark, grinning wickedly.

"Who are you?" Demanded Carys. But the Zoroark only laughed and promptly morphed into a Raikou.

"Wall time!" Said Ezra, pulling Carys into the wall with her.

"Hey!" Snarled the Raikou, tackling the wall in vain.

"Ho-kay….It seems Diego is actually a Zoroark. Thankfully, he can't reach us here." Ezra thought aloud, watching him closely through the wall.

"But I can." Said Gaia's voice from behind. Ezra immediately prepared a Flame Burst, and nailed her in the face. Carys followed up with Confuse Ray while the Spiritomb was recoiling from the attack.

They ran away from the two, ducking through chambers and walls in order to lose their tails. After a few minutes, they came into a room with a set of Stairs. A Razor Leaf ensured that it was the actual set.

**5F**

They spawned in a chamber with the Stairs. Warily, Ezra used Flame Burst, not wanting to fall for another trap. The Stairs didn't scream or disappear, indicating that they were indeed real.

She sighed in relief.

**6F**

To their shock, they spawned in with Wanda and six Druddigons.

"Well done, getting to 6F. But your little game end here." She said, inclining her head in respect.

"I think it's you and your friends who will be sorry." Commented Carys, Trick-or-Treating Wanda.

Wanda only grinned, and created a bright Flash, blinding the two for a few seconds. It was enough for the Druddigons to dive at them while Wanda escaped. Strangely, though, they were only using their regular attacks on the two. After regaining their vision, they knocked out two of the foes. To their surprise, the Druddigons they hit disappeared.

"They're illusions!" Exclaimed Carys, dodging an attack. She KO'd another Druddigon with Shadow Sneak.

"It seems the trio are quite fond of attacking from a distance. Oh well, at least these guys aren't too tough. They're scary, but weak." Sighed Ezra, KOing another foe.

Suddenly, she felt her energy being drained again.

"Someone's using Memento." Warned Ezra, trying to find Gaia. She scanned the room, searching for the Spiritomb. There! She saw Gaia's silhouette in a wall. She pretended like she didn't see her, eager to finish her once and for all.

"I can't find her. Ugh, can I see the bag? I need an Oran Berry." Ezra said as Carys finished up the last of the two illusions.

"Uh, sure." Replied Carys as Ezra looked in the bag. She found a Gravelrock, and hurled it to where Gaia was hiding. Gaia's wail of pain told Ezra that she was down.

"Nice. So, we only have Diego and Wanda." Grinned Carys.

"Let's do some wall-travelling, now that the only ghost-type is gone." Said Ezra as Diego's Raikou roar sounded throughout the floor.

They wall-traveled through the floor, avoiding all Pokemon, lest they were real or illusion. Eventually, they came to a giant chamber with two sets of Stairs. On one end lay Wanda guarding a set, and Diego was at the other end, guarding the other.

"Ugh, they want us to separate again." Hissed Carys from the wall.

"They don't know where we are. I'll Flame Burst the Stairs, and you Razor Leaf Wanda. We'll go from there." Whispered Ezra, pointing to the set Wanda was guarding.

"Fair enough. One…two…three!" They unleashed the attacks, where they found that the set Wanda was guarding was the real set. Their ruse broken, Diego bounded over to help his teammate.

"Quick!" Yelled Ezra, sending a Flame Burst at Diego in order to keep him at bay.

Carys struck Wanda with another Razor Leaf, then jumped on the Stairs as she blinded them with Flash. Even blinded, Carys managed to ascend the Stairs.

—**Waypoint—**

They had done it. They had made it to the waypoint, where they'd only need to fight Diego and Wanda. The room was HUGE. The ceiling had to have been at least a mile high, and there was a large skylight set in the roof, bathing the area in sunlight. There were pools of water everywhere, multiple berry orchards growing in the sun, and three small cabins had been built against the western wall. It seemed like a small town was living here.

"Welcome, Team Banshee." Said Wanda's voice. They turned to find the Gardevoir and her companions standing behind them.

"Why is this waypoint like this?" Asked Ezra, gesturing around her.

"This is our home. We live here, in the waypoint of Canyon Cliff. Come, follow me." Said Gaia, leading the group to a clearing in middle of the "town". There was a Kangaskhan statue nearby. Ezra went to touch it, just in case they lost.

"This is where's we'll fight, so as to not destroy our beloved home." Said Diego, brandishing his claws in anticipation.

"I'll be the judge of this battle, since I was defeated before. Is everyone ready?" Called Gaia, coming to sit on top of the Kangaskhan statue.

"Yes." Ezra nodded.

"Indeed." Agreed Wanda.

"Alright. Then let the battle begin!" Intoned Gaia.

**Boss Battle**

Diego immediately morphed into a Blastoise, laughing maniacally. Wanda preferred to lift Carys up with Psychic, then slam her down on the ground. Diego unleashed a Hydro Pump that painfully hit Ezra, sending her flying. Odd, it felt more like a Night Daze than a Hydro Pump. Wanda used her Psychic to pick up water from a nearby pool, and hurled the stream right at her. Ezra countered by using Flame Burst, creating an explosion of steam that temporarily veiled Ezra from Wanda's sight.

Meanwhile, Carys had managed to land Trick-or-Treat on Wanda, and was trying to nail a Confuse Ray on her. But the wily Gardevoir was too quick, using Flash and Teleport to dodge. Diego had morphed back into his natural form, and had focused his attention on Carys. Ezra used their distraction to hit him with a Sleep Seed. Trusting Carys to keep Wanda busy, Ezra began hitting Diego with all her might. She had no desire to be defeated by a Zoroark again.

A wail from Carys made her turn her head. Wanda had caught her in Psychic, and was busy using Confusion on both of them. Suddenly, a large herd of Houndoom appeared, snarling menacingly. The attack seemed to tire her, though, as once the illusions were summoned, she winced for just a second before dashing Carys to the ground again.

Ezra went to go help, but a moan from Diego made her throw an X-Eye Seed at him. Just as she was about to attack him once more, she felt teeth grab the back of her neck. She was tossed none-too-gently to where Carys lay on the ground. Once she got back up, she saw that it was one of the illusion-Houndoom who had grabbed her.

"I think our attacks from earlier have weakened them. I saw Wanda flinch after she summoned those Houndoom. And Diego's not too sharp as he had been when we first encountered him. I think if we keep them busy for just a little bit longer, we'll have the opening we'll need. Watch out for her Confusion; I'm pretty sure that's how she creates her illusions. Who are Formora's companions, by the way?" Whispered Ezra to Carys, making sure her friend was real.

"Kialandi and Firnen." Carys said back. "And their species?"

"Vibrava and Fraxure, respectively." Ezra answered.

"RAH!" Screamed Diego as the effects of the X-Eye Seed dissipated. He unleashed another Night Daze at them, sending them flying through the air.

The landing was painful for both of them, but it was enough to make Carys faint. Luckily, they always set out with three or four Reviver Seeds whenever they were about to enter a dungeon.

"Time to end this!" Snapped Wanda, making her Houndoom disappear. She sent out another wave of Confusion, and, concentrating hard, she summoned up a giant, narrow, green Pokemon.

"What…..is that?" Ezra marveled, staring in terror up at the freakishly huge Pokemon.

"Rayquaza. Say goodbye, heroes." Snarled Diego, diving at Ezra with a Faint Attack. She sidestepped the attack, but was launched high into the air by the Rayquaza-illusions's Twister. Funny, it felt more like Psychic than Twister…

As Ezra fell to the ground, she noticed Diego was preparing a Foul Play, and acting like he was holding a bat. Since she had no desire to find out what it feels to be a baseball, she made her flame rise higher and began doing backflips, hoping Diego did not wish to be burned.

He did not. Instead, seeing her intention, he launched another Night Daze, sending pink waves of energy straight at her. She quit her flipping and defused the attack with Night Shade, creating a small explosion. She landed and, when the smoke cleared, immediately hit Diego with Flame Burst. She then followed up with Ember, and that was enough to defeat the Zoroark.

Now that he was down, that only left Wanda. Ezra turned to see how Carys was doing.

The two were trading attacks evenly, neither gaining the upper hand. The Rayquaza illusion was helping out as much as it could, but it was obvious that the summoning had taken quite a toll on Wanda. She was Teleporting away as much as she could, but she was panting, and sweat was dripping down her face. She couldn't keep it up much longer, and everyone knew it.

Ezra hit the Gardevoir with Hex, surprising her. Carys tried to finish her off with Razor Leaf, but the Rayquaza illusion used Twister on her, sending her high into the air. Ezra unleashed another Hex at Wanda, but she Teleported away again. As luck would have it, Wanda Teleported to the exact spot Carys was two seconds away from landing on. The Pumpkaboo crashed painfully onto Wanda, dashing her to the ground. While Wanda was dazed, Ezra finished her off with Night Shade.

"Team Banshee wins!" Exclaimed Gaia as the Rayquaza illusion disappeared.

* * *

"You…We've never been defeated before…." Breathed Wanda, picking herself up, but not without some difficulty.

"That was….quite the fight." Agreed Diego, breathing heavily.

"Indeed. I think it's safe to say that you are worthy of being the Light's Chosen." Commented Gaia, coming down to join her family.

"Shortly before you arrived in this world, a most wonderful lady and her disciples came through here. She bade us guard the tests she was about to set up beyond this point. We agreed, as we've all been affected by the war. We want the Light to succeed. And now…Now, you have completed the first test! Go forth, Ezra and Carys, to the next test at the end of the dungeon. There are five more floors ahead. They operate under normal dungeon rules." Wanda smiled broadly, stepping aside to let them pass.

"It's been an honor meeting you. Goodbye." Waved Ezra.

"Bye!" Beamed Carys as the two exited the waypoint.

**Upper Canyon Cliff ( watch?v=ib5TBsN9qeo)**

**1F**

The terrain hadn't changed much; the only differences were pools of water around the edges and a few more rocks embedded in the floor. They had spawned near the southwest corner of the chamber, and Ezra swore she saw the nearest pond turn into the shape of a crescent for just a moment before turning back into the shape of an oval.

"We….we made it." Carys said in a small voice that was full of awe. "We passed their test, and now we can go back to regular dungeon rules."

"Don't let your guard down just yet," Warned Ezra, eyeing a Garchomp that was heading towards them. "We still have the test at the end of this dungeon, and another dungeon after that. We're not in the clear yet."

"But we're pretty darn close." Responded Carys as she and Ezra leaped into battle.

**2F**

They had the good fortune to encounter the Stairs in the next chamber over from their spawn point.

**3F**

Whilst wandering down a corridor, the duo encountered two Umbreon, much to their annoyance.

"You mind? You weren't invited to the party at the end of this dungeon." Stormed Carys, sending out a Confuse Ray from the wall. In their experience, the quicker they could take down dark-types, the better.

The first Umbreon dodged, and jumped on top of Ezra, pinning her to the ground. She scowled. She was really tired of Assurance. She countered with Flame Burst, sending the foe sprawling into the Umbreon behind it. Seizing the opportunity, Carys exploited the enemy's distraction to land a successful Confuse Ray.

The first, confused Umbreon, not knowing which way was up and which was down, accidentally Tackled the Umbreon behind it. A Razor Leaf from Carys, and the second foe was down. One Flame Burst from Ezra, and the first foe was vanquished as well.

Being able to travel through walls was nice.

**4F**

"Oh, yay, Stairs that I can trust!" Carys sighed dramatically, affectionately nuzzling the Stairs.

Ezra shook her head in bewilderment, but was also glad that they didn't have to deal with fake Stairs anymore.

**5F**

"I wonder who the mysterious lady we've been hearing about is, and what the test we're about to face is." Speculated Carys as she and Ezra tag-teamed against a Mightyena and Dratini. They had found the Stairs, but alas, they were being guarded.

"Well, we'll—yah!—find out soon. Huh! About time, too. I'm tired of ignorance. It's finally time we—ow!—do something…" Ezra said in between attacking, dodging, and being hit by a Bite. She fell back, nursing the bite to her side she just took.

Carys nailed the Mightyena with Confuse Ray, then grunted as she was hit by a Twister from the Dratini. Ezra joined the fray long enough to dispatch the dragon-type with Hex, then retreated in order to eat an Oran Berry. One Razor Leaf later, and they were temporarily free of enemies.

"Ready for the next test?" Asked Carys after Ezra finished eating her berry. Ezra nodded wordlessly, preparing herself for what was about to come.

**Canyon Clifftop**

They entered a secluded area. The top of the canyon was surrounded on all sides by sheer rock wall, completely open to the sky. The walls had different-colored gemstones embedded in them except for the northern wall, which was completely blank. Ezra figured that this must be where Clifftop Resort will appear if she passes the next test.

In the middle of the area was a giant statue of a Pokemon Ezra had never seen before. It was a large Pokemon that had no legs, and short arms. Its head was long and Swanna-like, with two crescents surrounding its face. It had three distorted V-like shapes covering its back, like a veil. Perhaps they were wings. The Pokemon had a solemn look on its face, and its eyes were raised towards the sky. Its hands were cupped, as if to hold something.

Ezra and Carys walked up to it, admiring the craftsmanship. The statue, although unpainted, was completely flawless, not a crack or chip in the stone. It was as if it was built yesterday. There was a large metal plate on the ground just below the statue, with small holes evenly spaced apart. Ezra got the distinct feeling something bad would come up from those holes if she did something wrong. Obviously, this statue was connected to the test. Under the Pokemon's body lay a plaque.

"The Chosen One shall connect The Great Lady with her sacred gemstone, lest all hope be lost." She read.

"The Great Lady, huh? That must mean this Pokemon." Remarked Carys, inspecting the statue from all angles.

"Do you know who she is?" Asked Ezra, coming to look at the different gemstones on the wall. There were emeralds, sapphires, rubies, diamonds, pearls, and countless others. On closer inspection, the gems appeared to be detachable, and all were perfect spheres.

"No, I don't. She must be a legendary, as I've never seen anything like her before. This must be the mysterious lady Ben and Mew were talking about. What do you think her 'sacred gemstone' is?" Asked Carys, joining her.

"I'm not sure. You see how her hands are cupped? I think that's where we put the stone in. It seems we only get one chance, seeing as how there's an obvious trap right below the statue. I'm guessing either spikes or poisoned darts will come out of the holes. Either way, whoever this woman is, she doesn't want anybody but us coming through." Ezra remarked, putting her hands where her hips would be, a leftover habit from when she was a human, although she didn't know it.

"She couldn't have given us a hint? How can we ever tell which is the right gem?" Groaned Carys, looking at the hordes of different gems that faced them.

"There must be a clue somewhere. What did Mew say yesterday? Pay attention to the surroundings? Well, there's only the statue and gems. Not much to go on." Frowned Ezra, thinking hard. There had to be _something_ that connected a gem to the enigmatic Pokemon.

She turned and walked back to the statue, gazing carefully up at it. Perhaps there was something hidden on her body…? She had short arms, veil-like wings, no legs, and crescents on her head. Wait a minute….Ezra paused on that last thought. Crescents?

"Hey, Carys?" She called, getting an idea.

"Sup?" Asked Carys as she came to join Ezra.

"I think I got something….I've been seeing a lot of crescents lately. The day before yesterday, I had a dream in which I was staring up at a crescent moon. Yesterday, in Mountain Retreat, I thought I saw the crystals on the walls turn in to crescents for a split second. Last night, I had another dream that involved me looking up at a crescent moon. And just now, in the second half of Canyon Cliff, I could have sworn I saw a pond turn from an oval to a crescent and back to an oval again. And look at her head; there are crescents! I think it's all related." Ezra explained, pacing back and forth.

"So how do we use crescents to find out which gem is the correct one? Do we look for a crescent-shaped gem?" Speculated Carys.

"Maybe. What are crescents normally associated with?" Asked Ezra, studying the Pokemon's solemn face. They were so close to finding the truth, she knew it!

"Um….not much. Mainly just croissants and the moon." Shrugged Carys.

"The moon? Hold on…" Ezra got a flash of inspiration, and she raced over to the wall of gems. She went over each of them, looking for a specific kind. Agate, garnet, aquamarine, peridot, opal, topaz….aha! _Moonstone_!

"This is it." She said resolutely, pointing to a sphere of moonstone lodged in the wall.

"Moonstone? …Oh, I see. Crescent moon, moonstone. Nice job." Said Carys, impressed.

"Are there any legendaries associated with the moon?" Asked Ezra, pulling the gem out of the wall. It stuck at first, but a firm yank from Ezra separated it from the wall.

"Uh…Oh gosh, you can never trust legendary rumors….Um, Darkrai is associated with the new moon, and he _is_ lord of nightmares. But that statue doesn't depict him. Let's see….Oh! Yes! There's another Pokemon! Her name's Cresselia. She and Darkrai make up the Lunar duo. Where Darkrai brings nightmares, Cresselia is rumored to bring good dreams. She and Darkrai hate each other with a passion. She's associated with the crescent moon. I've never seen a picture of her, but that statue _must_ depict her! Ez, I think we've got it!" Beamed Carys, doing multiple backflips in the air.

"Alright. Let's do this." Grinned Ezra as they walked back to the statue of Cresselia.

"She must be the mysterious lady we've heard about. And my dreams were certainly pleasant; I wonder if she brought them to me? Anyways." Ezra marveled, putting the sphere of moonstone into the Pokemon's cupped hands.

She tensed, half-expecting spikes to jut out from the trap below her feet, killing her instantly, but instead the statue's eyes glowed, and the ground began shaking.

"I think we did it!" Yelled Carys as she and Ezra tried to stay upright.

On the blank northern side, part of the wall collapsed, revealing a path into a dungeon. They had passed the test with flying colors.

Ezra let out a deep breath she didn't know she had been holding. She turned to Carys, who seemed equally apprehensive.

"Ready for some answers?" She asked.

"You bet." Carys nodded as they entered the dungeon.

**Thanks to Tatopatato for Wanda, Gaia, and Diego! Note: I received this OC long before my rule was enacted.**

**Dear Arceus, what a chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed the change of pace :)**

**The next post shall contain: ?**


	50. Chapter 50

**Clifftop Resort ( watch?v=yzKf6nCn8u4)**

**1F**

They arrived at a sandy area. The sand was reddish-brown, with almost-unnoticeable hills here and there. The walls were made of bronze-colored stone. There was a strange chill in the air, almost as if the dungeon was holding its breath and gazing expectantly at the two explorers.

Ezra and Carys didn't say anything when they spawned. They knew the task before them, knew that they were so close to the end, knew that everything would change after this day. They glanced at each other for just a moment before setting out, ready for whatever that came for them.

**2F**

They had come across a Vibrava in a chamber. According to Mew, there was a Shard at the end of this dungeon. Team Siren's theory was that each Shard corresponded to the dominant type in the dungeon they were located at. So, there was a good chance they would find either the dragon Shard or the ground Shard. Either way, it would feel good to beat up Vibravas.

"If only you were Kialandi." Sighed Carys in mock seriousness as she ended the fight with a Shadow Sneak after Ezra blasted it with Hex.

"Who knows? Maybe we'll get to fight Fraxures later." Beamed Ezra, glancing back at Carys.

"Ooooooh." Carys brightened in anticipation.

**3F**

"Easy flooooooooooor!" Shrieked Carys, diving onto the Stairs.

**4F**

"Careful, Ez. That Cubone has a Sleep Seed." Warned Carys as Ezra tangled with a Cubone as they were wandering along a corridor. Pools of water had started to appear on this floor, making Ezra wary about where her back was facing. She had no desire to be knocked into the water.

Turning so that her back was facing the wall, she launched the red waves of energy that made up Night Shade. The Cubone jumped out of the way, and threw its Sleep Seed at her. Pinned to the wall, Ezra had no choice but to take it.

To her confusion, she didn't fall asleep.

"I think that Sleep Seed's defective." She said to Carys, who one-shot the Cubone with a Razor Leaf. Cubones were among the weakest foes in this dungeon.

"Sleep Seed? Ez, I said '_Slip Seed_'." Carys corrected. "You can walk on water for the rest of the floor."

"_Seriously?!_" Ezra demanded, not believing her ears. Carys nodded.

Ezra felt her jaw drop open. She turned to face the water, and promptly jumped in, throwing caution to the wind. Instead of sinking, she landed on top of the surface. It felt like she was walking on top of gelatin. It was the best thing that had happened to her all day.

"Holy Miltank, I am the best fire-type ever! Look at me! I can walk on water~" She sang, running around the surface, enjoying herself.

"For the rest of the floor. Come on, Ezzie, let's go surprise some foes with a fire-type that can walk on water." Laughed Carys.

Ezra was only too happy to obey.

**5F**

They were nonchalantly wandering through a hallway when

**Weather Condition: Sand**

suddenly occurred, alerting them to the nearby presence of either a Hippopotas or Hippowdon. Silently, they agreed to hunt it down so the sandstorm would stop.

They searched all nearby corridors, when they finally found a Hippopotas wandering around in a P-shaped hallway.

"We have a double incentive to defeat it, Ez. This one has a Pure Seed on it!" Carys grinned wickedly, starting the fight with Razor Leaf.

The Hippopotas dodged and smacked her with Crunch. Carys wailed in pain.

"I'm on it, Carys!" Called Ezra from the wall, surprising the foe with Hex, then Night Shade. The enemy went down, leaving behind a large white seed.

"You said this is a Pure Seed? What does it do?" She asked, coming out from the wall to pick up the seed.

"It warps you to the Stairs….By Original One, that hurt." Explained Carys, still wincing from the Crunch.

Unfortunately, the sandstorm did not end with the Hippopotas' defeat.

"Ugh, maybe there's another one—phwah! Thand in my mouff!—nearby?" Sputtered Ezra, spitting sand out of her mouth. If anything, the storm appeared to _increase_ its ferocity.

"Thoo carth? Leth juth get outta theer." Mumbled Carys in between mouthfuls of sand. Ezra nodded, and ate the seed.

It teleported her to a small room with the Stairs a few paces away. Eager to spare her and Carys from the wrath of the sandstorm, she ascended.

**6F**

Team Banshee were busy fighting separate battles. Ezra sent out a Hex, but her enemy, a Dugtrio, ducked by using Dig. Unable to determine where it was, Ezra was a sitting Ducklett. It came as no surprise when she was hit by the Dugtrio. She was tossed into the air, and landed painfully on the ground a few feet away. Dazed, she lay there for a few seconds. It was enough of an edge for Dugtrio to land a Fissure on her.

The Dugtrio created a large fissure in the ground, sending a white beam of energy down along it and smashing it upon the weakened Ezra, KOing her instantly. When she revived, she saw Carys knock out the Dugtrio before coming over to where she now stood.

"What would you ever do without a grass-type?" She grinned. Ezra only grumbled.

**7F**

They spawned with the Stairs. This time, the joke involved Carys glaring at the Stairs.

**8F**

The next spawn, however, gave them a Sandile to deal with. It tried to Bite Carys, but she smacked it away with Razor Leaf. Surprisingly, it didn't faint. A quick Ember from Ezra ensured that this time, it stayed down.

The duo looked at each other, amused smiles on their faces. One lone Sandile stood absolutely no chance against them.

**9F**

They had spotted a Monster House ahead. They were in a corridor when they spotted a chamber with multiple Gummis and Wonder Tiles in it. Unfortunately, this was the chamber immediately after their spawn chamber, which only had one exit. They were forced to go through it.

As Ezra initiated the Monster House, thirteen Pokemon fell from the sky. They were: two Vibrava, a Hippopotas, three Cubone, a Sandile, two Trapinch, three Krokoroks, and a Hippowdon. Needless to say,

**Weather Condition: Sand.**

"Ugh! Let's just take them all on. Step in a little further, would you? I can't attack from the hall!" Scowled Carys.

As Ezra moved forward to let Carys into the chamber, she stepped on a Warp Trap. She started swearing violently, then stopped when she saw that she had been teleported to the room with the Stairs.

**10F**

"I care about the fare of Stairs!" Carys declared, upon seeing them.

**11F**

While Carys was busy taking care of a Trapinch, Ezra was busy picking up a Geo Pebble she had noticed lying on the floor. It was odd, though. There was only one Pebble when there were usually four or five all together. Oh well, Geo Pebbles were Geo Pebbles.

She went to rejoin Carys, who had finished her fight.

"Whatcha find?" Asked Carys, nodding to the Geo Pebble in Ezra's hand.

"Geo Pebble. Good thing, too. We're starting to run low on Gravelrocks." Replied Ezra, tucking the Pebble away for later.

"Nice. When we get home, I'll restock us on throwing items." Carys nodded in approval as she led Ezra out of the chamber.

Presently, they came across another Vibrava.

"Ugh, I'm sick of dragon-types! Think you can give me a hand, Ez?" Asked Carys, taking a Dragon Breath to the face.

"No prob. Yah—ah? Oh…" Ezra went to throw the Geo Pebble, but, without warning, a pleasant memory came to her mind.

"_Oh, my baby! I was afraid I'd never see you again!" Wailed Meganium, nuzzling her precious child. "Thank you ever so much! Allow me to repay you!" She said, using vines to hug Ezra and Carys close before releasing them._

"_Oh, that's really not—" Began Ezra._

"_Nonsense! Money can be obtained easily, but my child is priceless. Here, take this." Meganium went into her house for a second and came out with a few circles. _

"_Here. 300 Poke. I hope that'll be enough." Said Meganium, giving the coins to Carys._

"_This is plenty! Thanks!" She grinned._

"_Thank you." Said Chikorita with a voice that was just getting used to speaking actual words._

"_You're very welcome!" Said Ezra._

"_Oh, the sun's starting to set. You two had better get going before it gets dark." Advised Meganium._

"_Wow, you're right. Alrighty! We're off! Bye bye!" Said Carys as she and Ezra walked back towards the clearing Ezra woke up in._

The memory faded away, leaving Ezra smiling widely, tears coming to her eyes. That was their very first rescue mission, all those weeks ago. They had defeated Team Renegade for the first time, and saved a Shiny baby Chikorita. Her mother had been so happy to be reunited with their child….

"Earth to Ezra?" Carys's voice cut in from Ezra's reverie.

"Huh? What?" Ezra said, recalling that they had been in the middle of a fight. But when she looked to find the Vibrava, it wasn't there.

"You were staring off into space with a wide grin on your face. Rhyming aside, I defeated the Vibrava on my own, since you weren't doing anything." Carys informed, looking annoyed.

"O-oh, sorry. I went to throw the Geo Pebble, but a memory of our first rescue mission popped into my head. …Say, where did the pebble go?" Asked Ezra, looking around. The Geo Pebble had disappeared.

Carys' annoyed face was replaced by an understanding one.

"I see what happened. You fell victim to a Gone Pebble."

"A…Gone Pebble?" Repeated Ezra, confused. She was sure she had picked up a Geo Pebble.

"Gone Pebbles look exactly alike to Geo Pebbles. When you're about to throw one, it makes a powerful memory come to your brain, leaving you drifting off into la-la land." Explained Carys informatively.

"I…see. Well, lesson learned, I suppose." Shrugged Ezra.

**12F**

They had spawned with a Donphan and a Cubone. Ezra was taking care of the Cubone while Carys tangled with the Donphan.

She was smacked in the face with a Bonemerang, which made her see stars for a second. Shaking her head clear before she could be attacked again, she leapt out of the way of the Cubone's Thrash, then hit it with Hex. As it turned out, using Thrash was the worst mistake of its life. Since it missed, the attack was all for nothing, and the Cubone became confused with fatigue. Seizing her chance, Ezra ended it with Flame Burst just as Carys finished up her own fight with a regular attack.

The two smiled at each other, then went to cause mayhem for the dungeon Pokemon elsewhere.

**Clifftop Ledge**

The first thing Ezra noticed when they exited the dungeon was how windy it was. They must be very high up, as the wind was almost strong enough to extinguish Ezra's flame, and the air was very thin. Looking up, the clouds seemed so close Ezra could touch them from where she stood. They must have been exploring for longer than she'd thought, since the sun was just beginning to set. Perhaps they could get a ride home from Cresselia after she was done speaking to them.

Although, as Ezra looked around, there was no living thing waiting for them. There was only a cliff overlooking a valley full of sharp rocks, and a large gazebo with a bell on a pedestal near the center of the cliff.

"Hello?" Ezra called, wandering around the gazebo and towards the edge of the cliff. She heard nothing but her own echo. They were truly alone.

Behind the gazebo lay a Shard, just as Mew had promised. As Ezra grabbed it, visions of earthquakes and mudslides flitted across her mind. This, then, was the ground Shard. Carys put it inside their bag, then went to explore the inside of the gazebo.

"Where's Cresselia? I'm here, so where is she?" Ezra asked, sitting down anxiously.

"Ez, you might want to come here. There's something written underneath this bell." Said Carys from the gazebo.

Ezra got up and entered it. It was made of polished mahogany, with sconces for candles, which were lit, at each corner of the structure. Ornate stairs led to a small dais with support beams that suspended the large, brass bell. Etched into the dais, in a large, elegant script, were words.

"By ringing the bell, the Light's Chosen begins the path to war, and to potential victory." She read, coming to stand on the dais.

"I think that means if you ring the bell, you're saying that you're fully committed to the fight for peace." Carys translated helpfully.

"I understood that, but I thought I was already on the path to war." Commented Ezra, looking up at the bell. She wasn't sure if her tiny body had the strength to push the clapper hard enough to make a sound.

"I guess not. So, you gonna ring it?" Shrugged Carys.

In answer, Ezra pushed the clapper, which was thicker than her own body, as hard as she could. To her surprise, it was lighter than it looked, and the effort sent her stumbling off the dais and crashing on to the floor of the gazebo.

But the clapper had hit the side of the bell, however. As Ezra got back up, the bell rang a deep, light tone that echoed longer than any normal bell could. The sound seemed to permeate the air, traveling far and wide across the land. It seemed to invade Ezra's mind.

Eventually, the echoes died down, and the words on the dais began to glow blue. Ezra and Carys watched in a mixture of both fascination and apprehension. When the glow died down, it revealed a new message.

"The Light's Chosen shall be given much-awaited answers on the next full moon." Carys read.

"Wait, you mean I have to wait until the full moon to talk to Cresselia?! Seriously?" Ezra demanded, feeling cheated. All of this trouble, all of these dangerous tests, and all to ring a bell and be given an 'IOU'? Cresselia had some nerve, and Ezra fully intended on giving the legendary a piece of her mind.

"The full moon? That's the day after tomorrow, so you won't have long to wait." Calculated Carys.

"I've waited over a month to finally be told what the heck's going on!" Raged Ezra, feeling her flame rise.

"Come on, there's nothing to be done but go home." Carys said sympathetically, nuzzling Ezra.

She allowed herself to be led out of the gazebo, still feeling like this had been a colossal waste of time.

**I just remembered that Lookalike Items existed. I'm going to have a lot of fun in the coming posts…**

**That bell is quite out in the open, and the Dark isn't exactly a fan of Cresselia. It's too dangerous for her to be so exposed and away from allies. So, she hears the bell from a safe distance, then she arrives when it's safest. **

**Now, would you guys prefer I combine the next two days into one giant post on Thursday, or would you prefer an easier-to-digest short filler post Thursday and the chapter finale on Sunday?**

**No matter what, the next post shall contain: Impatience, a new resident, and a job.**


	51. Chapter 51

When they got home, Ezra was surrounded by the other residents, all dying to know what happened. Curtly, she explained the events that led up to the biggest rip-off of her life. Her friends sympathized with her, but like Carys, cheerfully told her that two days was not a lot of time. Ezra said nothing. _They_ hadn't been warped to another world and been given amnesia, only to be told that after a month of ignorance, they still had to wait.

She spent the rest of her evening in silence, not offering much conversation during dinner and afterwards. After what seemed like a hundred years, it was time to go to bed. She didn't think she would have been able to go to sleep, but she was out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She woke the next morning feeling...stoic. She made a better effort to be friendly to her fellow residents, and tried to act like nothing was wrong. In the back of her mind, however, still lay the cheated anger from yesterday. Cresselia was not going to get off lightly.

Breakfast was a sad affair. The Bravo Specials were leaving once more, as they had stayed longer than they had hoped, but they promised to return in two weeks. Team Siren were planning out their next Shard-finding expedition and Team Geo were planning on leaving in a few days as well. Team Valkyrie, however, were staying for another month.

"Since things are starting to get rolling, we want to stay and help! I'm not leaving you two and my little sis all alone, with scary Dark Pokemon out looking for you!" Chrysi had said vehemently.

* * *

After saying their goodbyes to the Specials, Team Banshee went to look for a job to do, in order to pass the time before they finally met with Cresselia. They found a job in Frostbite Taiga. A Togepi had supposedly gotten lost inside the dungeon, and his mother, a Togekiss, was worried sick. She didn't know exactly what floor her son was on, but she would reward a Pure Seed and 500 Poke to whomever rescued him. Remembering their first rescue mission, they set out immediately.

**Frostbite Taiga ( watch?v=_lS52Itco-4)**

**B1F**

The weather hadn't changed at all since they had last been here a couple weeks ago. In Lily Town, it had been a humid, cloudless day. The area surrounding the dungeon, however, was still snowing relentlessly. The two climates were still cleanly severed in half.

Speaking of things that hadn't changed, the floor was still made out of dusky grayish-green grass, and the walls were the familiar shade of light gray rock. At least it was slightly warmer in the dungeon than it was outside.

"Ooh, I was starting to forget what the cold felt like." Shivered Carys, her breath visible in the chilly dungeon.

"Wanna go back to Frigid Tundra?" Chuckled Ezra, looking around. Since she was a fire-type, the cold wasn't affecting her as it was Carys.

If looks could kill, Carys would've been hailed as the new Dark Champion.

**B2F**

"Yah!" Shouted Ezra, unleashing her Flame Burst onto the enemy Medicham she was fighting in a hall. It used Detect at the last second, then jumped high into the air. After a second, it dove at her with its High Jump Kick. Ezra and Carys ducked, leaving it crashing into the floor behind them, dazed. A Swinub arrived, surrounding them.

Back-to-back, the two ghost-types finished off the enemies; Ezra with a Night Shade at point blank, and Carys with a combo of Trick-or-Treat and Shadow Sneak.

The foes out of the way, the two dusted themselves off and walked merrily down the rest of the hall.

**B3F**

"Stairys! It's like 'Carys', but better." Snickered Carys as they saw that they had spawned with the Stairs.

**B4F**

The chamber with the Stairs was filled with Swinub. There were four of them in the giant chamber. Luckily, though, Swinub were the weakest Pokemon in the whole dungeon. Two Razor Leaves and two Night Shades later, Ezra and Carys were laughing their way to the Stairs.

**B5F**

They came to a chamber with a Clear Gummi and a Black Gummi. They knew the Clear Gummi tasted like ice cream, but they hadn't tried the other one before. Carys ate the Clear Gummi while Ezra ate the Black one. She immediately gagged, retching on the horrid taste.

Carys raised an eyebrow.

"Black licorice." Ezra sputtered, eating an apple to try and drown out the taste that dark-types loved best.

"Figures. Even _I_ don't like black licorice, and candy is my best friend! …Aside from you, of course." Agreed Carys.

**B6F**

Ezra was having a very hard time fighting a Mamoswine in a hall. It kept using Earthquake, leaving her with dangerously low health. She was only too glad when Carys nudged her out of the way, and cleaned the foe's clock with Razor Leaf.

"Eat this, candle girl." Carys ordered, pushing an Oran Berry into Ezra's hands. Ezra, who was starting to see black at the edges of her vision, was only too happy to comply.

But when she bit into it, a wave of pain washed over her as she bit into a large pit. Unable to take the pain, she fainted.

A second later, she revived, fully strengthened.

"Last I checked, Oran Berries don't have pits." She said suspiciously, checking that all her teeth were still there. They were.

"…Oh. Or**e**n Berry. A lookalike item. It deals damage instead of healing you." Carys explained, seeing what had happened.

"I'm getting awfully tired of lookalike items." Ezra sighed as she entered a chamber. She immediately stepped on a Warp Trap.

"AND I'M EQUALLY SICK OF WARP TRAPS!" She screamed at the universe.

**B7F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

"Ooh, it's snowing." Breathed Carys, sticking out her tongue to catch a few flakes.

"Eztairs! …Staira? Ugh." Said Ezra, trying out the joke from B3F. It didn't have the same ring to it.

**B8F**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

The snow had lessened somewhat. It was still falling steadily, but the flakes were getting smaller and smaller. They wouldn't have minded the snow otherwise, but it gave Pokemon with Snow Cloak a speed boost, which was annoying.

The three Piloswine that found them in a chamber, however, were ecstatic. Team Banshee was alerted to their presence by an Earthquake that shook the chamber, unbalancing Ezra and knocking her to the ground.

Carys attempted to launch a Razor Leaf at one, but it easily dodged. Instead, she nailed it with Trick-or-Treat, as the attack was unavoidable. The second foe hit her and Ezra with Powder Snow in retaliation.

Meanwhile, Ezra was trying to land a Stun Seed on the Piloswine that had its attention on her. It sidestepped with no problems, and used Mud Bomb. She dodged as easily as it had her attack. Following up, she launched Flame Burst, getting an idea. The Piloswine took a step back. Ezra angled herself so that the foe had no choice but to keep dodging by jumping back.

It was sent further and further back by her fiery attacks, until it couldn't walk backward anymore. She had backed it into a corner, where it was unable to dodge anymore. Sensing it was in trouble, it used Earthquake once more. It was an awfully kind attack, as it also damaged its allies, much to their surprise. Carys took advantage and KO'd one.

Ezra merely tanked the attack and ended it with Flame Burst. Turning, she saw that the last Piloswine was busy tangling with Carys. She merely sauntered up to it from behind and surprised it with another Flame Burst.

Suffice to say, the Double Team Special worked wonders when done right.

**B9F**

_Ping!_ Went their badges, startling them.

"Togepi's here. Come on, this place is full of enemies that would love to beat him into a pulp. We need to find him, and soon." Said Ezra, jogging out of the chamber with Carys close behind.

They traversed through the floor as quick as they could, trying to find the tiny child before anyone else could. Eventually, they entered a chamber that held a Togepi, who was looking curiously at X-Ray Specs.

"Togepi!" Called Ezra, coming up to the boy. He turned, startled.

"Uh….who are you?" He asked cautiously, backing up to a corner.

"We're Team Banshee. We're here to rescue you." Said Carys as the two showed him their badges.

"Rescue me? ….Oh. My mother must have posted a request." He sighed, sounding not at all happy at the prospect of being rescued.

Ezra and Carys looked at each other, confused. Usually their clients were happy at being found. Seeing their looks, Togepi continued.

"Let me explain: my mother is quite wealthy. She has all of these priceless heirlooms, and she thinks that I'm one of them. I can't do a thing without her breathing down my neck. She doesn't let me leave the house very often. It's a problem, as I want to form my own exploration team one day. So, I like to sneak out and explore the area. Today, I decided I would take it a step further and explore an actual dungeon. …In hindsight, that was a bad decision. I had no idea the Pokemon in here were so tough! …Maybe I should go back. I don't think I can go too much farther, and I don't want to give my mother a heart attack. She means well, but she just doesn't realize that I'm not a piece of furniture."

He stood up straighter, sighing.

"I'm ready now. Take me to my mother."

* * *

**Lily Town**

"Ohhhhhhh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouuuuuuuu!" Wailed Togekiss, tightly hugging her son and waving him around. The poor kid looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here. Ezra didn't blame him.

"Here you two darling darlings are!" Togekiss continued in a pompous voice, handing over their rewards. "Now, it's back home we go! And no more exploring for you, young man. I couldn't _stand_ it if my most precious possession was lost from me! You're grounded for ten months!"

With that, Togekiss herded her son out of the building. Ezra mouthed "sorry" to him as they left. After they left, Team Banshee burst out into laughter.

"'My most precious possession'? Oh Original One, she thinks her kid is just like whatever priceless heirlooms she has! She doesn't realize that he has his own thoughts and feelings." Laughed Carys.

"Oh, poor kid. I'd hate to have her for a mother. Luckily he only has to wait a few more years before he can form his own exploration team. I think once he leaves home, it'll be good for her to realize that he isn't some object she can keep coddle and keep in a gilded cage." Ezra said soberly, ceasing her laughter. Carys agreed, and they went out to pass more time until dinner.

* * *

They were busy playing 'Monferno in the Middle' with Hoopa (They eventually had to make a new rule stating that he couldn't use his hoop, as the blatant cheater would use it in order to catch the ball) when they saw something that made their jaws drop open in surprise.

There, walking into town, was Wanda! Ezra was so focused on her, she didn't notice Hoopa had thrown the ball at her. It hit her in the side of her head, making her cry out. Hearing her, Wanda turned, and raised her eyebrows in shock. She headed straight towards them.

"Ezra and Carys! What are you doing here?" She inquired.

"We live here. What are _you_ doing here?" Answered Carys.

"Who are you?" Asked Hoopa.

"Hoopa, this is Wanda, the Gardevoir I told you about this morning. Wanda, this is Hoopa, a fellow resident in Lily Town." Introduced Ezra.

"Hello, nice to meet you. After you two left, our job was done. There wasn't any reason for us to stay, so I decided to leave. Diego and Gaia stayed behind; they weren't ready to face the world again. We've all been affected by the Dark in some way or another, and they're not too keen to give up their safety. I, however, have my own quest I need to fulfill." Wanda explained, turning back to Ezra and Carys.

"What's that?" Asked Ezra.

"A few days before I evolved into a Gardevoir, my parents, two Shiny Gardevoir, were attacked by three Pokemon: a Froslass, a Vibrava, and a Fraxure. I barely escaped with my life, and I ended up at the waypoint of Canyon Cliff. Diego and Gaia have took care of me ever since. I trained hard in order to one day rescue my parents, and then Cresselia and her three disciples came by, asking us to help her. We agreed, always willing to hurt the Dark, and I put my quest on hold. But now, now that Cresselia's task has been completed, I can return to my initial quest. I asked around, and I was told that a Leavanny named Rose would house me for no charge. I…I have no money, you see." Wanda explained sheepishly.

"Team Renegade kidnapped your parents? That's awful!" Winced Carys.

"You…know the three who ruined my life?" Wanda asked incredulously.

"Yes, they're high-ranking members of the Dark. Formora, the Froslass, is the Dark Champion. Kialandi and Firnen, the other two, are her teammates. We're actually on our own quest to stop them." Explained Ezra.

"In that case, I will do all I can to help destroy the three who ripped my parents away from me." Wanda bowed in an oath of fealty.

"As for Rose, what you heard is not entirely true. Rose does charge her tenants, but another Team, Team Siren, pays for everyone's rent, because they're insanely rich and don't care about their money." Added Carys. Hoopa nodded.

"Yep! That's why I got a job here, at Neal's Sweet Treats! He has a room in the back, and that's where I stay!" Hoopa beamed, hula-hooping. Wanda faltered.

"O-oh…." She drooped, looking hopeless.

"If I may." Interjected a voice. The four turned to see Sora floating nearby.

"Oh, hi Sora. What's up?" Asked Ezra. To Wanda, she said, "Wanda, this is Sora. He's the town librarian."

"Greetings, Lady Ezra. I could not help but overhear. I may have a solution. Lately, I've been pondering about taking on an apprentice; someone who adores knowledge as much as I do. I shall be candid, it would be fortunate if I had someone to help me around the library. Upkeep and maintenance are taking away much of my time devoted to research. And I sense potential in the young Gardevoir. I would endear to have you as my assistant, Mistress Wanda." Offered Sora.

Everyone was speechless. Shut-in Sora usually preferred books over Pokemon; to hear him want company was unlike him!

"I….Well….It would solve my lodging problems…..Okay, sure. I'll give it a shot. Your name is Sora, sight?" Wanda asked, looking nervous. Sora gave a rare smile.

"Indeed. Do not worry, I am not an unkind Reuniclus, merely an odd one. Come by later, and I shall show you your room. We can discuss terms then." With that, Sora departed back to his library.

"Sora's always like that, but he's not wrong when he said he was nice. You'll like it; he has tons of books about everything!" Reassured Carys to the nonplussed Wanda.

"I see…I'm going to look around town some more, but I will see you three around." Wanda said, recomposing herself.

"Alright. If you need us, we live in Rose's Lofts—it's the tallest building, you can't miss it—and Hoopa lives at the pink building in front of the library." Said Ezra.

"Thanks. See you around." Nodded Wanda as she continued her tour of the town.

"The scary Dewott lady's coming towards us." Reported Hoopa.

The scary Dewott lady scowled as she walked up to the three.

"I heard that, trickster. See you don't steal my donuts again. Don't think I didn't notice that three of yesterday morning's batch had disappeared." Franziska threatened him, waving a scalchop in front of him. He gulped and shrank underneath her glare.

After a moment, she turned to Ezra and Carys.

"As for you two, it's dinnertime. Come." She said impatiently, beckoning them to follow her. She didn't look back to check if they were following or not.

"Gotta go. Bye Hoopa." Said Ezra, waving goodbye as she hurried to catch up to Franziska.

"Bye." A daunted Hoopa mumbled.

"Hey Franzy, what did you make?" Called Carys as she ran to catch up as well.

Franziska didn't answer, only whapped her on the head with Razor Shell.

* * *

**Whee! More Lookalike Items!**

**In case you haven't noticed, I've decided to make it a recurring gag to have Ezra fall victim to a Warp Trap. Fate has a twisted sense of humor. Its name is also RemiScarlet58.**

**I was told two separate posts were preferred, and so your wish is granted. Chapter 10 will end on Sunday with the long-awaited answers Ezra and you all want. **

**Next week, Chapter 11 will commence. There are 14 chapters in total, plus four shorter 'post-story' chapters after that. I plan on finishing this series sometime in August. What happens after that…well, I think you guys might like the next story I'm planning :) (Tiny hint: it takes place in the same universe as this one~)**

**The Chapter finale will contain: another job, unlikely allies, and Answers At Last.**


	52. Chapter 52

Ezra woke feeling very excited. Today was the day! Underneath the full moon, she was going to verbally abuse Cresselia to her heart's delight. Oh, and figure out what the heck's going on, too. Everyone else was excited for her as well, but for the latter reason. They had no idea about the former.

All she had to do was get through one more day. She was eager to take a job, as it would presumably make the day go faster. The job Team Banshee picked was an item-finding job in Scorched Cape, Azelf's home. A Swirlix needed a Pecha Berry, and one could presumably be found on the 7th floor of Scorched Cape. Why he couldn't just buy one, they didn't know. All they knew was, they needed to kill some time before nightfall, and here was a way to do it.

**Scorched Cape ( watch?v=w3aUsxAGRFM)**

**B1F**

Since the dungeon was situated almost on top of a volcano, the air was warm and humid, and the blue walls had burn marks and steam vents. The ground was made of purple stone, with darker rocks embedded at equal intervals. There was also a Charmander in the room with them.

It only took a Night Shade followed up by a regular attack to defeat it. Ezra was much stronger than she had been when they had first come here to talk to Azelf about his brother Uxie's location.

"I'd say we go say hi to Azelf after this job, but he's living in Hoopa's old place with his siblings." Commented Carys as she watched Ezra pummel the foe.

**B2F**

"You know what we haven't done in forever? Anger The Wind." Carys said with a mischievous grin.

"We already know it can't be defeated. Why would you want to do that?" Ezra still remembered the sheer _panic_ she had felt when the malevolent entity had finally appeared.

"Just to see if it's still around. Let's find the Stairs, then we'll run laps around it until The Wind starts to rear its ugly head. We'll leave long before it actually arrives." Carys assured her.

Ezra sighed.

"Fine." She said grudgingly. She didn't exactly have a lot going on this floor.

They wandered around until they found the Stairs. After that, it was a matter of doing laps around the chamber and defeating any Pokemon that wanted to tangle with them.

After about half an hour, the telltale evil started to stir.

"Something's stirring…" Warned Ezra, sensing a faint malevolent force coming towards them.

"And that's our cue to go!" Exclaimed Carys as they hurried to the Stairs.

"Let's never do this intentionally again." Said Ezra as they ascended.

"Deal." Replied Carys.

**B3F**

As they were walking along a chamber to the other side where the exit lay, Ezra triggered a new trap. Two Wooper and a Krabby suddenly appeared beside her, and the trap underneath her feet disappeared without a trace.

"Summon Trap." Sighed Carys as she blasted the Krabby with a Razor Leaf, KOing it.

"Joy." Grumbled Ezra has she was hit in the face with a Mud Bomb.

It hurt, but it was nothing she couldn't bounce back from. She attacked a Wooper with a Flame Burst, knowing that the blast would hit the other Wooper as well. The first Wooper dodged, but as she'd hoped, the volley managed to hit the second one. Carys finished the second one off with a Shadow Sneak, and Ezra ended the fight with a Night Shade.

"I'm glad we triggered it in a dungeon we haven't been to in a while, as opposed to, say, Destiny Ridge." She said gratefully, not even having broken into a sweat.

**B4F**

"Whoever invented Stairs needs to be given a medal." Laughed Carys, upon noticing they had the Stairs with them.

**B5F**

Much to their surprise, they found the Stairs to a Secret Bazaar.

"We have 132 Poke. We can buy a grab bag, and it'll be a free trip to B6F as well." Carys said eagerly, looking pleadingly at Ezra.

Knowing how much her friend wanted a grab bag, Ezra agreed.

"Welcome!" Laughed Kirlia as they entered.

"Hi Kirlia!" Called Carys as the two headed over to the southeastern corner, where Swalot held his shop.

"Welcome, explorers! Have a wonderful, amazing grab bag for only 100 Poke!" He greeted them as they approached.

"We'll take one!" Beamed Carys, handing over the money. Swalot handed her a wonderful, amazing grab bag. Inside….was an Oran Berry.

Ezra saw the disappointment in Carys' eyes. To her credit, Carys did a great job at appearing enthused.

"Wow!" She said. Ezra could hear the hollow note in her voice, though.

"Come back again soon!" Grinned Swalot.

"Yeah….we will." Carys mumbled as they exited the bazaar.

**B6F**

"Sorry about the grab bag, Carys." Ezra hugged her friend in comfort.

"100 Poke, and all for something I could get for 5 Poke, or for free if we find it in a dungeon? Wow." Carys said bitterly, looking down at the ground.

"Maybe next time will be different, though. Maybe next time, you'll get a Luminous Orb or an X-Eye Seed!" Ezra encouraged her.

"Possibly." Carys didn't sound so convinced.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ezra noticed a Krabby enter the chamber.

"Do you need something to take out your rage on?" She asked.

"Yes." Carys replied.

Ezra moved out of the way, revealing the foe that was heading towards them.

"Well, today's your lucky day!" She beamed. Ezra then turned around, not wanting to see the destruction Carys was about to unleash.

From the sounds of it, she was glad she did so. She thought she heard bones break.

**B7F**

_Ping!_ went their badges, confirming their job description. The Pecha Berry was here somewhere. Now all they needed to do was find it.

They searched the entire floor, but there was no Pecha Berry to be found, much to their consternation.

"Ugh, an enemy must have picked it up. Luckily, I have item-finding Abilities. When we find the idiot who made off with it, I'll let you know." Said Carys.

With that said, they went off in search of enemies. They fought a Krabby, a Magby, and two Wooper before Carys alerted her that their objective was with the Charmander Ezra was one more hit from taking down.

Ezra absorbed an Ember from her foe, then defeated it with a regular attack. As it fell, it dropped the berry. She grabbed it, and they exited the dungeon.

* * *

**Lily Town**

"Thanks fer findin' the Pecha Berry," Swirlix said back at the Lofts. "Here's yer reward, a Reviver Seed." He handed them the seed.

"No problem. Have a good day." Ezra nodded.

He inclined his head in agreement, then walked out of the building with his berry.

After he left, Carys turned to Ezra.

"It's only 3 o'clock, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" She asked.

"I dunno. Wanna see how Wanda's doing? After that, we can see if Hoopa or anyone in the Lofts are up for a game." Ezra replied.

"Sounds good." Carys said as they headed for the library.

* * *

Eventually, it was time. The plaque on the dais at the end of Clifftop Resort never specified a location for the meeting. Ezra figured Cresselia already knew of her location, somehow. She and Carys waited in a small clearing about a mile away from town. They didn't want to spook Cresselia by being around Pokemon she didn't know.

Nine o'clock passed, then ten, then eleven, and still no sign of Cresselia. Ezra was starting to think that this was all one major joke.

Midnight passed, with the full moon bathing the duo in silvery light. There was still no sign of Cresselia.

"I don't think she's showing, Ez. Do you wanna—ack!" Carys started to say, but a pink sphere was thrown into the center of the clearing from somewhere in the trees surrounding the clearing. When the sphere broke, pink mist swirled out and enveloped the area, trapping the duo. As Ezra inhaled it, she began to feel incredibly drowsy. She tried her hardest to stay awake, but eventually, sleep dominated her.

When she woke, she was back in Lily Town. Everyone was gone, off to their beds. She looked around, and sighed in relief to see Carys nearby.

"Ezra!" "Carys!" They said, running to embrace each other.

"It's about time you two fell asleep." A wry voice said from behind.

They turned to find the Pokemon depicted in the Canyon Cliff statue floating next to the black Pokemon Mew had turned into during their fight. Cresselia….and Darkrai? What was going on?

"You're Cresselia." Said Ezra. It wasn't a question.

"Indeed, I am the current co-leader of the side of Light. And you two are Ezra and Carys, the Champion of Light and her teammate." Acknowledged Cresselia, inclining her head. She had a deep, soothing voice, and wore a pink shawl that gleamed of power. She gestured to Darkrai. "This is Darkrai. Don't worry, he's on our side."

"But you two are mortal enemies! What's going on?" Protested Carys.

"And why did you make us fall asleep if you were only going to take us back to Lily Town? Do you know what a rip-off that stunt at Clifftop Resort was? Do you know what a _burden_ it is to walk around with amnesia? And what's that thing around your neck?" Demanded Ezra, getting her rage speech started. But Cresselia only held up a paw.

"Allow me to explain. You two are in a dream. Your actual bodies are still in that clearing. Don't worry, my disciples are keeping watch on them. I thought that a familiar background would relax you. My actual body is far, far away from here. It's only in the realm of dreams where we can talk safely. And this is my Lunar Veil. Whatever I do to me, happens to my allies. For example, if I were to use Moonlight, my allies' health would be restored as well. As for your predicament….it's much more complicated than you think." She said calmly.

"Sorry for throwing that Slumber Orb at you, but you wouldn't fall asleep." Said another voice. Ezra turned, and jumped to see Team Lunar Wind and the Unknown enter the dream!

"You six? But…" Ezra was confused. Just what was going on?

"It was no coincidence you met us all at Rigid Cave. We wanted to test the Champion of Light, test her heart. And you passed! Do you remember when we said we served a great lady? Cresselia is that lady. The Unknown are Darkrai's disciples. We were once enemies, but the war has forced us to be temporary allies." Explained the leader of Team Lunar Wind, a Mismagius named Luna.

"I would _never_ actually allow myself to be kidnapped like that." Snorted Selene, the Lumineon, in indignation.

"And we'd never hold back as we had been during our fight." Agreed Sword, the Bisharp leader of the Unknown.

"And we'd never leave one of our teammates in their hands. Crumbling Cave and message or not, we'd dive in to save our friend!" Exclaimed Luna.

"Hi Ezra!" War, a Feraligatr from the Unknown, beamed, putting a daisy chain on her and Carys' heads.

Ezra turned back to the Lunar Duo, utterly confused.

"In order for me to answer your questions, I shall tell you the tale leading up to now. First, though, you must know the identities of _He Who Is _and the one Ezra calls Voice. You might be afraid of _Him_ listening in. For the longest time, you were told that you couldn't get your answers, as _He_ listens for certain names. Well, I am a master of dreams, the one realm _He_ can't infiltrate." Cresselia said with a malicious smile. "And during the full moon, I am at my strongest. I may glow prettily during the crescent moon, but it is during the full moon where no one but _I _can control who is invited to this audience. Now, let me begin the tale…"

Ezra held her breath. This was it. After this, she would scream at Cresselia for trolling her.

"_He Who Is_….his true name is Giratina, master of antimatter and dimensions." Cresselia began. "Eons ago, he tried to usurp Arceus, the Original One, but Arceus managed to defeat him, and seal him away. Over the course of time, he subtly distorted the fabric of time and space, enough for both to start unraveling, but not enough for Dialga and Palkia, his siblings, to detect until it was too late. And too late it is…They have been driven insane by the dimensional distortions. Giratina bided his time until his prison was weak enough for him to break out of. He manipulated many Pokemon into joining him, including over half of all known legendaries. A few months ago….he openly declared war when he took down Arceus and took over as supreme ruler of the universe. Arceus and Voice…they are one and the same." Cresselia said, bowing her head.

"Voice…..is the creator of the world…?" Ezra whispered, not believing what she was hearing. "But…how was It defeated, when It's so much stronger than H—Giratina?"

"From what I understand, Giratina managed to sever a Shard from Arceus during their fight, giving him enough of an edge to encase Arceus in a bubble of antimatter. After that, it was just a matter of waiting. You see, as long as Arceus doesn't have all eighteen Shards, It gets progressively weaker and weaker, until…..I don't like to think about it." Cresselia shuddered.

Suddenly, three Pokemon appeared nearby, all in a row. The first two were almost alike, but the last was vastly different. The first Pokemon was as tall as the Lofts, with six legs and great black wings with red spikes. Its body was mainly gray, with black stripes and a gold head. The second Pokemon had the same color scheme, but it had no legs, no wings, and gold spikes everywhere on its body. The third Pokemon, however, looked nothing like the other two. It was much shorter than the other two, but bigger than Cresselia. It was light gray, with a dark grey underbelly and a gold ring surrounding its waist. There were green gems set in the ring, and its eyes were the same shade. The tips of its feet were gold as well.

"This is what Giratina and Arceus look like," Cresselia explained, turning to face the figures. "Don't worry, they aren't real. The first figure is what Giratina looks like when he is in our dimension. He was originally banished to another realm, and the figure in the middle is his true form, when he is in his own realm. The third figure is Arceus' natural form."

Ezra stared, fascinated, at the three illusions. Giratina, _Him_, was as intimidating as Ezra expected him to be. His face was set in a permanent scowl, and his eyes seemed to pierce her own. Arceus, Voice, was so...majestic. It looked exactly how a benevolent deity should be. Ezra could easily see her Voice being this awe-inspiring being.

"Anyway, shortly after the fall of Arceus, Giratina overheard a mental conversation between It and the other co-leader of our side, the life legendary Xerneas. Arceus was planning on bringing a human to this world to be Its Champion. …That human is you, Ezra. Giratina decided to fight fire with fire, and brought a human of his own to be his Champion about a month before you were brought here. You know her already. The thing is….Formora remembers her life as a human. She remembers everything." Cresselia continued.

"Wait….how does she remember her old life, and I don't?" Demanded Ezra, feeling her flame swell angrily.

"I was getting to that. I believe Hoopa lives in town with you? So you know the dangers of dimension-hopping. The effect is harsh on anyone not meant for warping through dimensions, meaning everyone who's not Arceus, the Creation Trio, and Hoopa. At the very least, you'll be knocked out for a day. At the worst…well, be lucky you only lost your memory. Getting back to the point, Giratina was delicate with his extraction of Formora. He easily took her from your world, and just as easily turned her into a Froslass. Her only side-effect was being out for about a day. As for you….Arceus had very little time to bring you here and turn you into a Litwick before Giratina or Yveltal could stop It. It couldn't afford to finesse the operation. So, as a result of that clumsy extraction, you were out for a few days and lost your memory." Cresselia explained.

Ezra felt strange. She lost her memory…..because Arceus—Voice—was desperate enough to risk torture in order to bring her here? That was…..awfully brave of It…

"You mentioned someone named Yveltal. Who's that? And who's Xerneas?" She heard herself continue.

"Yveltal and Xerneas…the Mortality Duo. Yveltal is Arceus' jailor. He guards Arceus from the Light, and used to transport Shiny Dark captives over to It. As I understand, they kidnapped Shinies in case one of them was the Light Champion. Giratina didn't know who or what the Champion would be, only that it would be Shiny." Explained Cresselia.

"Ben mentioned a Y-shaped Pokemon bringing him to Voice….that must be Yveltal." Carys said to Ezra. Cresselia nodded.

"Yes. Yveltal is cruel, and a monster. His only purpose is to kill all life. It's only natural he be a part of Giratina's army. Xerneas, however….." Cresselia made a face as if she were sucking on a lemon.

"Xerneas takes the phrase 'life is a mystery' to a whole other level. He's flamboyant and cocky, but can be serious when he needs to be. As you may have guessed, he is the Pokemon of Life. He can heal others, and can even revive a dead Pokemon." Selene cut in for her lady.

"He's fun. The life of the party." Darkrai rumbled, speaking for the first time. He had a voice that sounded like rocks tumbling down a mountain.

"He's an idiot is what he is." Cresselia muttered under her breath. She recomposed herself. "But, while he acts like everything's a game, he is driven to defeat the Dark and is as powerful as I am. Going back to the tale, it was shortly after you entered the world when I began to set up the statue and dais. I knew it was unlikely I could meet you when you arrived at the end of Clifftop Resort, so that is why I set up the bell. When you rang it, it meant that you were ready to face the truth. You see, Arceus could only speak to you for short periods of time, as Yveltal and Giratina guard It closely. There was never enough time to fully explain everything to you. You weren't strong enough to handle the truth, so that is why I never contacted you. If I were to have told you what I am telling you now when you first got here, you would have panicked. You would have doubted yourself and would have shied away from the task Arceus brought you here for. By finding your own way through this world, you saw firsthand how bad we need you. Through adventuring, you found your inner strength and confidence. …As for the events two days prior, I could not make the journey to the bell. I am currently in the middle of my own mission…I set up the dais beforehand, in anticipation of this." The Pokemon explained further. She allowed a few moments for Ezra and Carys to think.

And did Ezra think. So she had to have found her own way before she would be told anything? ….She could sort of see the sense in it, but she wasn't quite ready to forgive Arceus and Cresselia for not telling her. As for the bell….her frustration was justified, but her grudge was petty. It was unfair of her to expect Cresselia to drop everything and run to her. She no longer felt the desire to yell at the solemn Cresselia.

"What are Team Renegade up to right now? Why are legendaries flocking to Giratina's side? Why would anyone join him? What's the next step for us? Why are you and Darkrai working together?" Peppered Carys.

"Preparing to cause great pain, the desire for a better life, finding the last of the Shards, we understand our lot in life." Said Sword.

"To elaborate…something's changed in Formora. I can dip into Pokemons' dreams whenever I want to, you see, and I have the ability to sense nightmares and other mental hells. An operative told me that Team Renegade are planning on taking down a Light legendary. Formora…she doesn't dream that often, but when she does…It's not a happy picture. Before, she started out as a cold, calculating lass. Lately, though…well, I'll let Umbra explain." Cresselia nodded sadly to the last member of Team Lunar Wind, who had been hiding behind the others.

He came out from behind his allies, and Ezra gasped quietly as she saw his left arm was in a sling. She looked closer, and saw that all three members were bruised and bandaged all over. Luna had a cloth tied over her right eye, and one of Selene's fins was torn.

"We fought them three days ago," The Weavile began, wincing at the memory. "They were brutal. They did not hold back at all from their assault, and eventually I was defeated by Formora. Right before I was about to faint, she went up to me, and snapped my arm like it was a twig. She was laughing the entire time. The pain was enough to knock me out. We barely won that fight…..You can see what they did to us." He ended, nodding at himself and his team.

"Xerneas has fought them many times before, and each time he's reported strong teamwork and cold precision in their attacks. LW's report, though….Formora's crueler, more reckless. She actively seeks causing pain to others, and her ways are getting increasingly life-threatening. We have a few operatives in their base. Darkrai and I visit their dreams to hear their reports. One spy has told me that in the beginning, Formora used only enough force to get what she wants. From what happened three days ago, she now hurts others simply because it causes her great joy. I fear she's getting addicted to the pleasure she feels whenever she inflicts pain…..Ezra and Carys, take great care next time you meet them. They are not the same as before." Cresselia warned.

"Moving on, Giratina is a master manipulator. He preys on others' weaknesses and exploits them relentlessly. He sensed the discontent in other Pokemon's lives, and has told them that he is fighting to give them a better life. You must understand, most of his forces came from horrible backgrounds. They were ignored, abandoned, forced to fend for themselves. Giratina convinced them that it is the Light's fault that they had to suffer while others lived better lives. He played on their jealousy, their desire for a good future, their need for love and support. He gave them homes, lives, futures. It is easy to understand why an outcast would want the more successful to suffer as they did. That is the basis of their fight. They want the Light to suffer, to know the hardships that they faced." Cresselia ended.

"The next step for you two is to find all of Arceus' missing Shards. I sense there are five Shards left. Arceus only has three more with It, and Giratina will continue to sever them from It until It is dead. Arceus can survive for a few days if all eighteen are gone, but It _will_ die soon if it doesn't have all of them. The time is coming quickly for you to defeat Formora." Warned Darkrai.

"As for your last question, it is true Darkrai and I are bitter enemies. But…" Began Cresselia.

"We understand our lives. We accept that we are enemies. I bring nightmares, but they are only effective if there are good dreams to balance them out. You see, true chaos and true peace are unachievable. There are times when the balance is tipped in one side's favor, but there will always be an opposite. Even if there was no war going on, there would be Pokemon suffering. If Giratina wins the war, then he and his forces are in paradise. No matter what, someone is having the opposite effect. Separate, Light and Dark are indeed enemies, but together they bring balance to the world. Take Cresselia and I. We are opposites, and yet our work balances each other out. I am new moon, she is full moon. Together, though, we make up the entire moon. And that is the way we like it. We understand how we fit in to the scheme of things. That is why we have teamed up. War makes for strange allies." Explained Darkrai.

"Anything else you would like to know? We have only half an hour left." Asked Cresselia.

"Uh…Oh! We once spoke to seer who told us of a final battle between me and Formora. Do you know of it? And why was I turned into a Litwick?" Asked Ezra, feeling overwhelmed. It was a _lot_ of information to take in.

"Yes. Soon, you and her will fight for the outcome of the world. We know not how this fight determines the outcome, but it will, somehow. But…..the outcome comes at a price: one of you will die in the fight. Again, we don't know how or why. All we can do is hope." Cresselia warned, looking up at the dream-sky. Up above, the sun was starting to rise. "As for your transformation, it was to disguise you from Giratina. A human in this world would be incredibly easy to find, plus in Pokemon form, you are better adapted to fighting. I believe you were turned into a Litwick because it looks like a candle. A candle lights the way for others when it is dark. It provides light when there is none. I believe Arceus turned you into a Litwick because It sees you as a light in the darkness, a beacon of hope for all."

"I see...As for the prophecy…I don't know if I can bring myself to kill another being." Ezra sighed.

"Perhaps it is an accident. You hit her just a _little_ too hard with a Flame Burst, or maybe something else happens. We don't know for sure that _you_ actively cause her death, should you win. All we know is, someone will die." Fire, the Delphox from the Unknown, shrugged.

"The sun is rising, and the moon is fading. We must leave." Cresselia warned, looking up sharply at the sky, which was quickly becoming lighter.

"Wait! How can I contact you again?" Cried Ezra, going to grab Cresselia's arm. The legendary paused for a moment, then yanked a feather off of her body. She gave the yellow-and-green feather to Ezra.

"That is a Lunar Wing. It dispels nightmares, and will help protect you from Giratina. Whenever you need to speak with me, hold onto it as you fall asleep. I will come. …Actually, bring it with you wherever you go. If you start to get inexplicably sleepy, then that means I need to talk to you immediately. We have to go now, but we will see each other soon. Goodbye, Ezra and Carys." Cresselia explained, retreating further into the dream until the landscape turned gray, then black.

* * *

**Why do Cresselia's feathers have green on them, when there is not a single speck of green on her? I would like to know.**

**Chapter Ten has come to an end, and now the heroes know all about the war, and why things are the way they are. They have a new quest, which will commence in Chapter 11….Things will really begin to pick up, friends, for better and for worse. I, for one, can't wait. I'll see you next week~**


	53. Chapter 11 The Last of the Shards

**Chapter 11. The Last of the Shards**

Ezra woke with a start. Blinking in the morning sun, she slowly sat up and looked around. Her body was stiff from sleeping in the grass of the clearing outside town, but as she moved around the pain lessened.

_All we can do is hope..._Cresselia's voice reverberated through her skull.

Carys stirred, then woke up as well. A sudden movement in the trees surrounding the clearing caught Ezra's eye. She caught the faintest glimpse of Luna grinning at her before she and her teammates disappeared without a trace.

Yawning, the two stumbled back into Lily Town, where the residents were just starting to rise from slumber. They headed into Rose's Lofts, only to find that their friends were—mostly—still asleep. They could hear Franziska puttering around in the mess hall, and Rose had just exited her room, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Upon seeing Team Banshee, she smiled and walked over to them.

"Hey you two...how went it?" She smiled, giving them both a hug.

"Amazing! We learned everything we wanted to know." Carys beamed right back at her.

"That's great. Would you mind filling us in after breakfast? We'd love to hear all about it." Rose asked.

Sure thing." Agreed Ezra.

As the others woke, they greeted Ezra and Carys with smiles and pats on the back. They were all dying to hear what happened, but Rose firmly told them to wait after breakfast.

* * *

After the morning meal, the entire building—and Hoopa, who heard that they had returned—sat down in the commons room, eager to hear the story. Taking turns narrating, Ezra and Carys told their friends what had transpired during the night. They spoke of Cresselia and Darkrai, of Arceus and Giratina (Ever wary of Giratina, they said 'the Original One' and 'the master of antimatter' in lieu of the forbidden names), of what to do next. They spared no detail in their narration.

"But...once you have all the missing Shards, what then? Where do you go?" Asked Meloetta after they had finished. Ezra opened her mouth to answer, then paused as she didn't know the answer to that question.

"I...don't know," she said honestly. "Cresselia never told us."

"Well, we have her feather. We'll just use it tonight." Suggested Carys, pulling out the Lunar Wing. Everyone oohed and aahed at the pretty feather.

"Wow...that's an actual feather from Cresselia?" Breathed Noibat, coming for a closer look.

"Yup." Nodded Ezra.

"Ah...I'd love to see her in person..." Sighed Ivysaur wistfully.

"Maybe one day we will. Until then, we need to be on lookout for Shards. Thanks to Team Geo, we have a list of all currently-known dungeons. We've crossed out the ones we've already been to, and so now it's just a matter of exploring the rest. There's still about 150 left...If we all share a portion of the exploration, we should have the rest completed in a couple weeks. Who all are willing to help?" Meloetta asked, taking charge.

"Us of course." Said Ezra, taking a look at the list. She recognized many of the dungeons, but there were still hundreds she had never heard of before. Deserted Desert, Tawny Savanna, Plain Plains...and these were just a few out of _hundreds_!

"We'll never turn down treasure hunting!" Laughed Chrysi.

"We aren't a treasure-hunting team, but we'd certainly be happy to help." Macargo said mildly.

"Actually, it'll be quicker if I look around." Hoopa cut in. "We don't have time for everyone to explore 150 dungeons. The Original One is dying, and you simply can't go on an exploring binge. I can get through this entire list in a week. That's half of Meloetta's projected time. I'll find where the Shards are, and you guys can go fetch them."

"Why don't you just get them yourself?" Franziska demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"Because it's more fun if you guys get them! When Team Banshee was about to go to Mountain Retreat, they asked me the same thing. I told them, they were the explorers, not me!" He beamed cheekily, hula-hooping.

"I thought you told us that because you wanted us to fight Mew." Objected Ezra.

"That was a just a bonus perk." Hoopa winked at her.

Trina sighed. "It's no use arguing with him. As much as I'd rather he get them for us, I can tell he won't budge." She said grudgingly.

"Nope!" Hoopa said in a sing-song voice. In a serious note, he added, "If you'll give me the list, I'll get started during my lunch break."

"Take Deserted Desert through Abysmal Abyss off the list. We're exploring those dungeons." Said Meloetta after a moment.

"You sure? Twenty dungeons is an awful lot, and I can easily confirm if you're wasting time or not." Asked Hoopa, concerned.

"We got it. Besides, Abysmal Abyss is a dungeon we've _long_ been wanting to conquer." Said Ranna, grinning.

"99 floors, no items, no waypoint, level 1 strength...it's one of the ultimate dungeons!" Dyrim sighed in bliss.

Ezra shuddered. It sounded like an ultimate nightmare.

Hoopa shrugged. "Suit yourself." He said. "I gotta go; it's time for me to start work. I'll let you know as soon as I find a Shard." And with that, he jumped into his hoop, and disappeared.

Meloetta sighed. "There are downsides to being friends with a trickster. Anyways, I guess we should start on those dungeons. We'll catch you guys later in a few days."

She and her team abruptly stood up, and left the building. There was an awkward silence.

"Uh...I guess we'll do a job, if we're not doing any exploring." Carys said hesitatingly, breaking the silence. Everyone awkwardly bid them farewell.

* * *

**Mystical Bluff ( watch?v=7oFWr-cy4uU)**

**1F**

The walls were a pale gray stone, completely smooth. The floor was a lavender color, and magenta crystals grew all over the place, shedding tiny lights from all around. It truly was a mystical bluff.

They were here because there was an Aggron who desperately wanted an exploration team to save him on 9F. Apparently, he had gotten lost while on his way to visit his niece in a neighboring town, and had wandered in here by accident. Team Banshee was more than happy to reunite family.

**2F**

"Staiiiiiirrrrrrssssss.." Breathed Carys.

**3F**

Instead of a Warp Trap Ezra unwittingly triggered as they were walking across a chamber, it was a Slumber Trap. Pink gas was emitted through holes in the trap, sending Ezra deep into slumber.

To her surprise, she was in Lily Town. This was odd. Normally she didn't dream when she was forcefully put to sleep. She then remembered they had the Lunar Wing on them.

_Ohhhh, now I see what's going on, _she thought, _Cresselia's coming._

Sure enough, the radiant legendary appeared a few seconds later.

"Yes?" She inquired.

"Sorry, I accidentally triggered a Slumber Trap while exploring. I didn't mean to summon you." Ezra apologized.

"I see. In that case, I will wake you..." Cresselia turned as if to leave, but a thought came to Ezra.

"Wait!" She cried. Cresselia paused. "After we find the Shards...what then? Where do we go from there?"

"Ah, thank you for reminding me. I had meant to tell you last night, but I did not have enough time. After you find the Shards...I'd suggest you release Dialga and Palkia from their torment. They have special items like I and the Lake Trio do. You'll want to find those, and give them to the two. I believe that should be enough to free them from their madness. After that...Well, I and Xerneas will take care of Giratina. You two focus on rescuing Arceus, who is being held at the top of Its dungeon, named Celestial Spire. Be warned, though: Celestial Spire is invisible to most Pokemon. Even I don't know where it is. One of your next tasks is to find out where the tower is located. You will also need an item named the Space Globe. The Space Globe will render the Spire visible again. I know not where it is either, but I will keep a lookout for it. If I hear any information regarding the location of Celestial Spire or the Space Globe, I will let you know immediately. Is that all?" Cresselia explained. Ezra nodded.

"Very well. I will wake you now, Ezra. May we see each other again soon..."

With that, Ezra suddenly found herself back in Mystical Bluff. Carys was standing over her, concerned. Ezra told her about the meeting with Cresselia.

"So, we have even more things to find? Great. At least Cresselia's keeping an ear out for information. And we also have Hoopa." Carys sighed, then shrugged. "I'm glad you met with her again, in any case."

**4F**

"You know, last time we came here, we were on our way to defeat Hoopa, because we thought he had kidnapped the Lake Trio." Commented Ezra as they walked along a chamber.

"Oh, that's right! We haven't been here in a long time. I'd forgotten how pretty this place is." Agreed Carys.

A Graveler came to greet them just as they exited the chamber.

"Oh, did you want to hear more about our past trip, Mr. Graveler? There was a Graveler like you last time we came here. He was defeated...like this!" Laughed Carys as she and Ezra unleashed a Night-Sneak combo.

"Maybe it was the same one." Giggled Ezra as they continued along.

"Ooooh." Carys grinned.

**5F**

"The Mystical Stairs are with us!" Declared Carys vehemently.

**6F**

A Mawile had decided it wanted to tangle with them as they were stopping to pick up some Poke. Ezra used Ember, but it dodged and bit her with Crunch, making her flinch in pain. Her ally disabled, Carys avenged her with Razor Leaf. The Mawile attempted to use Iron Head on her, but a Flame Burst from a recovered Ezra defeated it. The two snorted at the audacity of the weaker dungeon Pokemon, and continued their journey.

**7F**

They were fighting with a Klefki and a Carbink in the middle of a chamber. The Klefki hit Ezra with Foul Play, making her grunt with pain. She retaliated with Flame Burst. The Klefki attempted to block by using Crafty Shield, but Flame Burst was not a status-inflicting move, thus rendering the shield useless. Slightly daunted, it followed up with Imprison...but Ezra shared no moves with it. At this point, she was just letting it exhaust itself with failed moves. It was kinda funny, really. The Klefki attempted to use Fairy Lock on her...but ghost-types negated the effects.

She ended it mercifully with Ember. Carys had just finished her fight with Carbink as well.

**8F**

"Hello, Stairs. How do you fare?" Asked Carys to the Stairs.

**9F**

_Ping!_ went their badges, alerting them that Aggron was on this floor. He wasn't in the spawn chamber with them, so they set out together to find him. Or, at least, they would have been together, had Ezra not tripped a Warp Trap.

When she respawned, she let out a string of colorful phrases that would have made even Giratina blush. After she finished her tirade, she turned, only to find her client standing behind her, looking horrified.

"Uh..." Ezra trailed off, feeling her cheeks redden with embarrassment. "I'm here to rescue you...?"

"Oh thank Original One!" Bawled Aggron, seemingly forgetting her tirade just a moment ago. "I didn't mean to git trapped in here! It's scaaaaaryyyyyyyy, and worst of all Pokemon keep attackin' me for no reason! I don't like it here! Please git me ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut!"

"Ah, yes. One second." Replied Ezra, still embarrassed and put off by the burly Pokemon's behavior. She turned her badge onto Aggron, and he was beamed out of the dungeon. A second later, she and a surprised Carys were beamed out as well.

* * *

**Lily Town**

"Thanks for rescuin' me! I woulda been a goner if y'all hadn't shown up!" Wailed Aggron, dramatically throwing himself down onto the floor, tears springing to his eyes.

"It's all right. Bring a map with you next time you go into unknown territory, okay?" Replied Ezra, uncomfortable by the display.

"Oh, I will, I will! Oh! Yer reward! Yes! Here! A Luminous Orb and a Heal Seed!" He sniffed, handing over the items.

"Thanks. You take care now." Nodded Carys.

"Yes! Bye bye!" Aggron lumbered out of the building, sobbing pitifully. Ezra and Carys shared a bemused look before shaking their heads.

They headed up to the second floor, where they found Team Triple S and Team Dauntless playing 21. The five looked up as the two approached.

"Sam! Will! Marcus! Vaporeon! Sylveon! We haven't seen you guys in _ages_!" Laughed Carys, she and Ezra hugging all but Sylveon—the aloof Pokemon did not like being touched—tightly.

"We never meant to stay away from Lily Town for so long...We ended up at Cedarbark Town, which is on the eastern side of the continent, and we sorta became the town's go-to team for crises. If there was a crime or a rescue that needed to be performed, they asked us for help. While we were certainly happy to help, they didn't seem to realize that we never meant to stay so long. Luckily, one of the townspeople stepped up to replace us, and so here we are!" Explained Marcus, the intelligent Abra leader of the trio.

"And we, of course, were busy taking down outlaws, brining our total number of outlaws defeated up to 999." Added Sylveon, nodding at her brother.

Everyone whistled in awe. That was a lot of outlaws.

"Anyway, what'd we miss?" Asked Vaporeon.

Team Banshee quickly told the five what had transpired. The five were astounded at all that had happened while they were gone. They agreed that, if their help was needed, then they'd be more than happy to assist in taking down the Dark.

With that said, Ezra and Carys settled down to hustle Team Triple S out of their Poke.

**I will not be writing a 99-floor dungeon like Abysmal Abyss, or the Zero Isles from EoT/D/S. The content would quickly get repetitive, and in all likelihood the duo would be defeated at around 10F, since they would have absolutely no idea how to traverse a dungeon like that. Besides, Celestial Spire will be torture enough x_x**

**Also, it's starting to look like I'll finish the entire story in either late August or sometime in September...**

**The next post shall contain: a Shard, a quarry, and lots of magnets.**


	54. Chapter 54

Hoopa came crashing into the cafeteria in the middle of breakfast, startling everyone.

"You guys...*pant pant*...I found a...*pant* Shard!" He panted, kneeling down on the ground. It was obvious he had sprinted the way here.

"What?!" Everyone—except for Sylveon; she only raised an eyebrow—chorused, fully alert.

"Yeah...In a place called Magnetic Quarry. I didn't see a boss." Hoopa nodded, standing back up.

"Magnetic Quarry...That's near Mt. Zephyr, so it's not too far away." Mused Seadra.

"Really? Great! We've been to Mt. Zephyr before." Beamed Carys.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what if we wanna go get it?" Demanded Sam, the powerful Luxio of Team Triple S.

"No way! We haven't been to a new dungeon in _forever_!" Argued Chrysi.

A loud argument broke out among the exploration teams, each wanting to go and retrieve the Shard. A high-pitched scraping sound made everyone stop and turn to the source of the sound.

Leaning against a wall, nonchalantly sharpening her scalchops on a large rock, was Franziska. She casually looked up as silence fell over the residents.

"What?" She asked innocently. "Can't a Dewott sharpen her scalchops in peace? How's about you all go have some sort of contest in order to determine who goes and gets the fragment. That way, I can finally hear myself think again!"

"That's a good idea. The contest will have to be luck-based...I got it! I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 100. What is it?" Asked Rose.

"50." Ezra said instantly.

"3." Said Trina.

"42! It's always 42!" Shouted Chrysi.

"69?" Asked Carys, grinning mischievously.

"100." Answered Seadra.

"1." Countered Noibat.

"17!" Yelled Sam.

"30!" Replied Will, the speedy Treecko of Team Triple S.

"Hmm...the number a female Leavanny will choose...if I add this, square that, and carry the two...52 is my answer." Mused Marcus.

"3.14?" Giggled Vaporeon.

"Or 63." Added Sylveon.

"88." Said Milana.

"Could it be 38?" Asked Macargo.

"It was 49. Team Banshee wins." Laughed Rose.

Team Banshee cheered while the others groaned. Hoopa laughed, then said he had to get to work soon. Franziska uncharacteristically thanked him for his news with a dozen donuts. He blinked, looking up at her, unsure of what to make of this unexpected turn. After a moment's pause, a slow, face-splitting grin spread across his face as he took the donuts and left the building.

"What's gotten into you?" Asked Pelipper, also surprised by this action. Franziska shrugged.

"He had good news." She said simply. She turned to Team Banshee and added, "So are you two going to get that Shard or what?"

Team Banshee finished their food, did their morning chores of buying, selling, and storing items, then finally they set out for the Magnetic Quarry

**Magnetic Quarry ( watch?v=7zkR6Sp_kMU)**

They arrived at a large rock quarry a little after noon. The pit had to have been at least a mile deep. The edges were steep, but the entire quarry was somewhat built like stairs; there were long platforms at uneven intervals spiraling down the quarry. Even so, if they fell, they would have a long way to fall before they reached the bottom, which appeared to have a large lake. There must have been something that attracted metal in the ground, for pipes and shards of metal were firmly stuck to the ground, rusted through. The entrance to the dungeon lay a few meters from the edge. The entrance was only a set of stairs leading down into the quarry.

Team Banshee looked at each other warily, then cautiously descended into the dungeon.

**B1F**

The terrain was much like the outside; the only difference was that moss and lichen grew on the walls. Little bits of metal were attached to the walls via magnetic force. Since they were inside the ground, the air was thick and musty. Ezra did not want to spend a lot of time in this place.

"Hi little Magnemite! Did you want to say hi?" Carys was saying beside her. Ezra turned to see a Magnemite stalking towards them.

Magnemite was a steel/electric-type, so fire was best. Indeed, one Flame Burst and the foe was down. Presumably Magnemites were among the weakest foes, so could be KO'd with one Flame Burst.

**B2F**

After pummeling a Metang into submission, the duo came into a chamber, where they found a gold ribbon.

"Oooh, what does this do?" Asked Ezra, marveling at the soft silk, the luxurious sheen of the fabric.

"Absolutely nothing." Carys answered matter-of-factly.

"What?" Asked Ezra, not expecting that answer. A ribbon as gorgeous as this _had_ to do something, right?

"Gold Ribbons are completely worthless in terms of usability, but they can be sold for lots of Poke." Carys explained.

Ezra looked down at the Gold Ribbon in her hands.

"...Money is always nice." She said after a moment.

**B3F**

Ezra was busy fighting a Magneton in a corridor. The thing kept dodging her attacks, and what's worse, had nailed her with Thunder Wave. Paralyzed, she had no choice but to take the foe's Zap Cannon, which sent her sprawling into Carys. Unable to move, Ezra lay there as Carys sent a Razor Leaf over her head. It hit the foe, but didn't do much damage.

Finally, she was able to move again. Ezra launched herself off the ground, and quickly sent out Flame Burst, defeating the surprised foe.

"Hmph. Electric-types." She snorted, dusting herself off before continuing down the hall.

**B4F**

"Ooh, Stairs!" Gushed Carys.

**B5F**

"BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!" Carys guffawed. She had spawned right on top of the Stairs. The odds had been incredibly slim, and yet it had happened again.

**B6F**

They had spawned with a Beldum and two Magnemites in a _giant_ chamber. Carys was attempting to snipe them off from a distance with Razor Leaf, but the distance meant that the foes could easily dodge, which they did.

"Watch and learn." Said Ezra, putting a hand on Carys' shoulder. They waited until the three foes were close.

Ezra dodged a Take Down from the Beldum, and sent out Flame Burst, laughing. The attack spread to include the Magnemites, and all three fainted at the same time.

She turned to Carys, grinning.

"Show off." Carys said, rolling her eyes.

**B7F**

They spawned with a blue pair of glasses. Carys seemed happy by the find.

"An Insomniscope! Perfect!" She exclaimed, grabbing the item and turning to Ezra.

"I think you should wear this; it prevents you from going to sleep, so you won't have to worry about accidentally summoning Cresselia again." She said.

Ezra thought. She rather liked her Stamina Band, but she would feel guilty if she kept summoning Cresselia. She didn't want to end up like the boy who cried Mightyena...

"I'll take it." She found herself saying. She untied the Stamina Band around her neck, put it into their bag, and hesitantly put on the Insomniscope. She didn't feel any different, and her vision was now tinted blue, but other than that everything seemed normal.

"How do I look?" She asked, turning to Carys.

"Ooh, the color of the glasses matches your flame!" Marveled Carys.

Ezra smiled.

**B8F**

They had found the Stairs, but they were being guarded by a Probopass. Since it was half rock-type, Ezra hung back, preferring to fight from afar while Carys tangled with it. The foe used Sandstorm, taking advantage of their sudden blindness to hit Carys with Zap Cannon. The attack didn't do very much damage, but it annoyed her all the same.

Ezra threw more Silver Spikes, and Carys landed Trick-or-Treat on it. Now that they had a type-advantage, Ezra dove in with Hex, surprising the foe. In response, it hit her with Power Gem, making her cry out in pain. She exited the fray to eat an Oran Berry, then turned just in time to see the foe use Rest, completely restoring its health.

Even though it was back to full health, it was also unable to dodge their attacks. First off, Carys sent out the twirling lights of Confuse Ray, taking precautions in case it woke up.

Then it was just a matter of hitting it with Shadow Sneak, Hex, and Night Shade. It woke up just in time to be defeated by Ezra's Hex.

**B9F**

"Marry me?" Carys asked the Stairs, which didn't respond. It was too afraid of commitment to answer.

**B10F**

"Trap Scarf! This is perfect! Thank you, dungeon gods!" Beamed Carys as they entered a chamber. Carys immediately ran to a gray scarf lying in one corner.

"Now I can see where traps are! You won't have to worry about stepping on Warp Traps anymore!" Laughed Carys.

"Really?" Asked Ezra, perking up. No more Warp Traps would be nice.

"Yeah! Help me put it on!" Grinned Carys.

Ezra untied Carys' Stamina Band, then put on the Trap Scarf for her friend. Carys blinked, then looked around, fixating her glance at the spot immediately to Ezra's right.

"Ooh, good thing this was here. There's a Warp Trap next to you." She informed.

In response, Ezra stuck her tongue at the universe. She would have made a rude gesture instead, but she had no fingers to do so.

**B11F**

They were having a tough time fighting a Metang in a chamber. It had maxed its speed with Agility, and had upped its defense with Iron Defense. In short, they simply could not lay a finger on it. Ezra tried and tried to hammer it with Flame Burst, but it kept leaping out of the way.

Soon, Ezra got an idea. Not too long ago, she had dealt with a speedy foe...

"Angle yourself so it has no choice but to jump backwards, into the corner.' She muttered, just loud enough for only Carys to hear. She did, and the two switched positions. Now, whenever they attacked, the Metang leaped backwards, and they quickly stepped forward so it couldn't move forward.

Ezra tanked a Meteor Mash, screaming in pain, but didn't fall. Undaunted, she again attempted to hit it with Flame Burst, but it jumped backwards.

They did this until the foe could jump no more. Realizing it was trapped, the Metang went for offense instead. Carys was hit with Psychic, but the distraction allowed Ezra to land a Flame Burst on to the foe. It dropped Carys, and turned to her.

She dodged a Meteor Mash, and unleashed her Hex upon the foe. At the same time, Carys landed Razor Leaf, finally defeating the stubborn foe.

**B12F**

Pools of water had started to appear around the edges of the chambers. They had to be getting close to the end.

"Wanna use our Luminous Orb? I don't really feel like dealing with Metangs, not after last floor." Asked Carys, shuddering.

Ezra agreed, and broke the Orb.

**B13F**

Ezra narrowly dodged a Hyper Beam from the Metagross they were fighting in a chamber. It had superb health and defense, as well as offense. The only good thing was that it was weak to both fire and ghost.

She landed Night Shade on it at the same time as Carys' Shadow Sneak. The Metagross shook its head, but didn't seem overly hurt. It landed Hammer Arm on Ezra, making her double over in pain. Carys used Trick-or-Treat on it, making it more susceptible to their ghost-type attacks.

A Psychic sent Ezra crashing into the ground, dazed. Her friend down, Carys managed to land an X-Eye Seed on the giant foe.

Picking herself up, Ezra painfully used Flame Burst, clutching her left arm. She was sure it was broken. Carys handed her an Oran Berry, and Ezra watched in awe as her bones knit back together to restore her health. Items were weird sometimes.

A Flame-Sneak combo made the Metagross come crashing down to the ground, its senses flood with pain. One more combo, and it was finally defeated.

**B14F**

"Stairs are nice! I enjoy Stairs." Giggled Carys.

**B15F**

They came across a rainbow Gummi in the middle of a chamber. Carys' eyes went wide, and she gasped in surprise.

"No...it can't be!" She exclaimed,racing over to the Gummi.

"What?" Asked Ezra, coming over to look. The Gummi was striped in various colors: black, gray, green, light green, white, clear, blue, red, gold, orange, yellow, purple, pink, magenta, brown, royal blue, silver, sky blue...come to think of it, these were the colors of the other Gummis! What was going on?

"This...is a Wonder Gummi...They're _super_ rare, almost non-existent...They boost your stats and completely refill your belly...and the taste is said to be out of this world! What's a Wonder Gummi doing in a place like this? I always thought they were locked up tight in a few dungeons!" Sighed Carys, caressing the Gummi.

Ezra had a bad feeling.

"Is there...a lookalike item for Wonder Gummis?" She asked hesitatingly. A super-awesome item, just lying in the middle of a floor? Something didn't seem right.

Carys paused for a moment.

"...Yes. A W**a**nder Gummi...The taste is awful, and makes your eyes gunky...Ugh, thanks for reminding me, Ez, otherwise I would've been in for the worst day ever." She said, shuddering.

"No prob. What should we do with it?" Asked Ezra.

"Let's just leave it." Sighed Carys. And so they did.

**Magnetic Clearing**

They arrived at the bottom of the quarry. A large pool of water lay before them, and looking up, they could see the rest of the dungeon towering over them. The walls of the dungeon surrounded them on all sides but up, leaving them completely open to the elements. They had to have been at least a mile down into the giant pit.

Up ahead, laying half-submerged in the water, was the Shard. Ezra picked it up, and received visions of steel beams, metal walls, and iron buildings for her trouble.

"This is the steel Shard." She reported to Carys, bringing it over to her.

"Nice. Shall we head home? It looks like it's gonna storm." Asked Carys, looking up at the sky. Indeed, the air had grown cooler, and the clouds were starting to turn dark and gray. They were in for a nasty storm soon.

"Ooh, you're right. Let's get outta here." Shuddered Ezra.

**Lily Town**

They got back just as rain began falling. It started off as a drizzle, then quickly turned to a downpour. Luckily, Team Banshee had gotten inside the Lofts before it turned bad. Looking outside, the two saw the other townspeople close their shops in order to get out of the storm. All too soon, flashes of lightning danced across the sky.

"Whew! You two made it back just in time!" Exclaimed Will, jumping at the thunder.

"Yeah. Can we see the Shard?" Asked an eager Vaporeon.

Team Banshee obliged. The others marveled at the specks of light and color that swirled across the surface of the fragment. The Shard's surface never looked the same; the color patterns were always changing. Ezra could have watched the patterns swirl forever...

Instead, she settled for an evening of observing the marvelous displays.

**Now we know where Magnet Man (creator of the Unknown) dwells... ;)**

**The next exciting installment shall include: a rescue mission, a mysterious map, and Franziska's minor. Also, alliteration is fun.**


	55. Chapter 55

The storm did not stop until after noon. It raged on throughout the night, and it was only after dawn did the thunder and lightning end, leaving only the rain and wind, which slowly died down as the day wore on. Finally, shortly after lunch, the rain ceased completely, leaving Lily Town a muddy mess.

Not even an hour later, the rescue requests came flying in. The torrent of rain had caused numerous mudslides in the area, and many Pokemon had become trapped in caves as they were trying to escape the storm. Lightning had caused a few trees to topple, destroying buildings and causing a couple of forest fires. Needless to say, all nearby exploration teams were running ragged trying to rescue all of the Pokemon.

It wasn't just rescue teams who were spread thin. Multiple outlaws were taking advantage of the disarray to pull off robberies and assaults on innocent townsfolk. Team Dauntless had gone out to take down one of the worst criminal gangs, the Obzedat, as their 1000th capture. The Obzedat, according to their wanted poster, was a gang of five Spiritomb who regularly extorted and cheated Pokemon out of their money. Rumor was that they had amassed a small fortune from all of the stolen money. It would be a huge relief if the brother-and-sister team could finally bring them to justice.

Team Banshee, already having done five rescue jobs before lunch, were utterly exhausted. They were not used to such a frantic workload. They arrived home around three, desperately craving food and rest. They were the only exploration team who had come home, as everyone else was still busy with their rescues.

They had just finished lunch when Rose entered the cafeteria, comforting a weeping Foongus.

"There you are! You guys need to hear this." Rose said upon noticing them. To the Foongus, she said, "It's all right. Just tell them what you told me, and they'll help your friend."

"O-okay..." The Foongus sniffled, trying to stop her tears. "M-my name is Cordy, short for Cordyceps... I-I'm part of an exploration team n-n-named Team M-Manchineel...I only have o-one partner, named Snover...Yesterday, w-we were exploring a dungeon wh-when the storm suddenly c-came upon us...We tried to run, but we fell d-down part of a mountain...I kept going, and I th-thought Snover was right b-behind me, but when I turned around...he w-wasn't there...He must've h-hurt his leg or something...I kept trying to g-go back and r-r-rescue him, but I'm too w-weak...I kept getting defeated, over a-and over again..."

Cordy burst into sobs again, covering her face with her arms.

"it gets worse." Rose said grimly, prompting Cordy to explain further.

"The d-d-dungeon we were e-exploring...It's called R-Rumbling Volcano...We're a n-new exploration team; w-we wanted to conquer o-our fears of fire-types, so th-that's why we w-went there...We barely m-made it to the end...And th-that volcano...It's close to..." Cordy couldn't finish the thought, and broke into a full-out wail.

"Snover must be hurt, and that dungeon is known for frequent eruptions. He's in real trouble if you don't get him out of there." Said Franziska, coming to join the group.

"Of course we'll get him out!" Exclaimed Ezra, feeling new energy course through her. Death by lava or suffocation were both horrible ways to die. They had experienced that dungeon themselves; they knew that the volcano was always ready to erupt.

"The hospital closest to Rumbling Volcano is in Firewood City, which is fortunately well out of the blast radius. If you two can get him out, Franziska and I will escort him to the city's hospital." Planned Rose.

"Sounds like a plan. Carys and I have been through that dungeon before; we know where it is." Ezra nodded.

"Th-thank you...You're so kind..." Cordy whispered, looking up at the four.

"We just do the right thing! Now come on; we have a critical situation!" Beamed Carys.

* * *

**Rumbling Volcano ( watch?v=oAudIPHHqYs)**

They could see smoke wafting from the top of the mountain long before they arrived at the actual dungeon. One good tremor and they could all kiss their lives goodbye.

"Here we are." Announced Ezra when they arrived at the base of the volcano.

"Wow..." Rose marveled, looking up at the dungeon.

"We've no time to waste. We'll be right out with Snover." Said Ezra as she and Carys prepared to go in.

"I'm coming too!" Exclaimed Cordy, coming to join them.

"Are you sure?" Fretted Carys. Cordy nodded certainly.

"My best friend is trapped inside that dungeon because I didn't check to see if he was okay. I owe it to him to make things right. I braved this dungeon once; I can do it again!" She said, a determined look in her eyes.

"Very well." Said Ezra. With that, the trio entered the dungeon.

**1F**

As it had been before, the floor was made of tannish rock and the walls a light gray stone. It was quite hot, and there were pools of lava everywhere.

"As I recall, this place has 14 floors, right?" Asked Ezra, turning to her teammates.

"Y-yep." Confirmed Cordy, looking nervously at the lava.

"Don't worry Cordy, we'll rescue Snover in no time at all! Ezra will do all of the main attacking, and we'll just help from the sidelines, okay?" Reassured Carys.

"O-okay." Cordy did not look convinced.

**2F**

"What's that?" Cordy pointed to a small, light blue seed with white spots.

"Hm? Oh, that's a Vanish Seed! It makes you go invisible." Explained Carys. Cordy's eyes went wide.

"Really? Wow, I've never heard of such a thing!" She marveled. Ezra handed the seed to her.

"Wanna try it?" She offered, smiling.

Cordy hesitantly took the seed, looked down at it, then ate it. One minute she was there, then suddenly it was as if she never existed.

"I don't feel any different..." Her voice emanated from where she had been standing.

"Maybe you don't, but we can't see you!" Laughed Carys.

"...Really?" Came Cordy's surprised voice.

"Really." Said Ezra, looking at the spot where she thought the Foongus was.

"...Neat. We shouldn't be staying in one place for too long; who knows when the volcano will erupt? You two go on ahead; I'll follow you." Said Cordy.

**3F**

They spawned in with a Magby. It dodged Ezra's Night Shade, but to everyone's surprise, Cordy stepped up and nailed it with Spore, causing the foe to fall asleep. Unable to dodge anymore, it fell to Ezra's Hex.

Carys and Ezra turned to Cordy, surprised. They weren't expecting the amateur explorer to step in like that.

"I'm not so good at offense. Snover's the one who hurts them. But I'm really good at inflicting status moves." She explained sheepishly, looking down at the ground.

"That was amazing! We could really use some status moves in a place like this." Ezra exclaimed, patting the Foongus on the back.

Cordy smiled shyly.

**4F**

"Good, an easy floor. We've no time to waste." Ezra approved, noticing the Stairs.

**5F**

The second chamber they arrived at had a Kecleon Shop.

"Oh! Mr. Kecleon! I saw you in Verdant Ravine! Do you remember me?" Asked Cordy, running up to the shopkeeper.

He peered closely at her, but shook his head.

"Sorry, little missy. I don't remember you."

"You probably ran into one of his relatives. These dungeon Kecleon have an extensive network of family, and they all set up shop in various dungeons. It's highly unlikely two shopkeepers are the same." Explained Ezra, coming to look at his wares.

"Oh." Cordy drooped.

"Don't worry, we did the exact same thing when we were beginners! You're not alone." Winked Carys, nuzzling Cordy.

Ezra purchased a Luminous Orb, and they went on their way.

"What's that?"Asked Cordy, pointing at the orb.

"This is a Luminous Orb. It lets you know the location of _everything_ on this entire floor. I was planning on using it if a floor is too challenging for us." Explained Ezra.

"Wow." Was all Cordy could say.

**6F**

As they walked along, Cordy told Team Banshee about herself and Snover. They were childhood friends who always loved adventure. They became an exploration team last week, and were having a lot of fun exploring new places. They'd already been through forests, caves, and even under the sea! They had wanted to practice battling fire-types, which both members were weak to, so that was why they had come to Rumbling Volcano. Cordy was in the middle of telling them about her ten siblings when they came across a Doom Seed.

"Never eat those, Cordy. Those are Doom Seeds. They lower your strength until you're about as weak as a Magikarp, but luckily the effects go away when you go to the next floor." Warned Carys.

"But there are special seeds called Dough Seeds that look exactly like Doom Seeds. Dough Seeds summon lots of Poke instead of weakening you. If you don't want to take the risk, you could always let an expert look at them." Explained Ezra, handing the seed over to Carys.

Carys looked carefully at the seed for a moment, then shook her head.

"Doom Seed. I'm certain of it." She sighed.

"I'm learning a lot today." Cordy said in a quiet voice.

**7F**

Ezra was fighting a Flareon in a hall. She was standing on top of the lava pools that surrounded the halls, and Cordy was trying to help while Carys cheered on the new explorer. The Flareon, knowing that fire was useless against Ezra but super-effective against Cordy, leaped at the Foongus with Fire Fang. In response, Cordy used Bide, bracing herself for the attack.

She wailed when the attack hit her, but did not falter. Ezra retaliated with Hex, but the Flareon dodged and hit Cordy again with Fire Fang. This time, when Cordy wailed, she released spores from her head, which settled on the Flareon and causing it to go rigid with paralysis.

"Effect Spore! Nice." Called Carys as Ezra and Cordy tag-teamed for a Night-Bide combo. Their foe was completely annihilated by the attack.

**8F**

The terrain had changed from tan floor and light gray walls to brownish-gold floors and dark brown walls. Little spigots of lava had started to ooze from the walls and down to the floor. It was also noticeably hotter.

"I would never say that easy floors are cheesy!" Laughed Carys, merrily heading over to the Stairs.

"Is...is she always like that?" Cordy asked timidly, watching Carys.

"You should see her when she's hopped up on candy." Replied Ezra.

**9F**

They had come across a Torkoal and a Torchic in the chamber they were passing through.

"Let me have Torchic! They're weak enough so that even I can defeat them." Said Cordy as she dodged a Peck from the tiny foe.

"Sure." Agreed Ezra as she and Carys focused on the tougher foe. It tried to hit Ezra with Ancientpower, but she countered with Flame Burst, effectively disabling the attack. Carys followed up with Trick-or-Treat, and Ezra unleashed her Night shade down upon the foe. Unfortunately, it dodged.

A cheer made them all turn.

Cordy had managed to defeat the Torchic, and was jumping in the air with joy. The Torkoal scowled and, before Team Banshee could stop it, used Overheat directly on Cordy, KOing her instantly. In revenge, Ezra ended the foe with Hex. A second later, Cordy revived.

"Sorry..." She drooped.

"No need to apologize; that Torkoal was the one who was in the wrong. You did just fine. Come on, we're almost at the end." Ezra comforted her.

**10F**

The Magby they had just defeated dropped a Big Apple as it fell. Carys explained to Ezra and Cordy that Big Apples completely restored their stamina and hunger. All three were getting hungry, so they decided to take a short break to split the apple into thirds so everyone could have a piece.

The first bite Ezra took of her slice gave her a massive energy boost, perking her up and putting an extra zing in her step. The rest of the slice left her feeling right as rain. She felt like she could do anything! It was like she had just woken up from a wonderful nap and was ready to take on the world! A look around told her that the others were feeling the exact same way.

Feeling quite peppy, the three set off again.

**11F**

The trio had come across a Magmar and a Cyndaquil in a chamber with an Rawst Berry. The Cyndaquil kicked off the fight with Defense Curl, buffing its defense. It stayed on the sidelines as the Magmar went to attack.

Magmar aimed a Fire Punch at Carys, but Ezra dove in front of her teammate, absorbing the attack to fuel her Flame Body. Her flame grew higher, swelling with power. The thing was, Magmar had Flame Body as well, so she couldn't give it a taste of its own medicine. No matter. Ghost was fine too. She tried to land a Hex on it, but it dodged and unleashed a Flame Burst. All three Pokemon were hit by the volley of fire. Cordy nearly fainted, but an Oran Berry from a wincing Carys saved her from that fate. Ezra only grew stronger from the attack, and she now knew what her foes felt when she pummeled them with her own Flame Burst.

She managed to hit it with Night Shade, and a Shadow Sneak from Carys made sure it would never bother them again.

Meanwhile, the Cyndaquil had completely maxed its defense. Team Banshee did not like super-buffed foes.

"I got it." Said Cordy, spraying a Clear Smog on the Cyndaquil. Immediately, its buffs were negated, returning it to normal.

One Shadow Sneak from Carys was all it took to defeat it.

**12F**

They had eventually found the Stairs, but a Quilava happened to spawn in the room as they were crossing the chamber. Cordy, who was closest to the foe, hit it with Toxic. She sent out poisonous spores that choked the Quilava until it was thoroughly poisoned. In retaliation, it sent out multiple yellow stars that homed in on her, striking her all at once.

"Ugh, Swift's annoying. Let's end this." Frowned Carys as she and Ezra used Night-Sneak on the Quilava. The combo plus the poison ensured that it was defeated.

"You're an amazing support Pokemon." Ezra complimented Cordy, who blushed.

"I guess. Come on, we're running out of time!"

**13F**

"Stairs!" All three of them said at the same time.

**14F**

"Alright gang, last floor. Should we use our Luminous Orb?" Announced Ezra as they spawned at the last floor.

Cordy and Carys nodded. Ezra went to break the orb, then got an idea. She turned, and handed the orb to Cordy, who looked at her in surprise.

"Me?" She squeaked.

"Why not? Luminous Orbs aren't rare, and this way you'll become used to using orbs." Ezra encouraged. Cordy hesitated, but took the orb.

"What do I do?" She asked.

"Throw it on the ground so it'll break. With Luminous Orbs, a map of the entire floor will appear in your mind. You will see multiple dots of various colors. The white dot is you, yellow dots are allies—in this case, me and Carys—blue dots are items, red dots are enemies, and the blue square is the Stairs. This orb is very good for navigating to the Stairs without worry of running into enemies." Ezra explained.

Cordy looked down at the orb in her hands, then broke it. She squealed as the map appeared, blinked, then seemed to get used to it. She turned in the opposite direction.

"There was a corridor we ignored back here; it's the closest path to the Stairs." She said confidently.

"Sounds good. Lead on, Cordy. We're almost there." Nodded Carys.

**Rumbling Volcano Peak**

When they arrived at the peak, they were immediately assaulted by the heat of the smoke and lava. Up ahead, clutching his foot, was Snover.

"Snover!" Wailed Cordy, running over to her friend.

"Cordy!" Exclaimed Snover, looking surprised to see her.

Ezra and Carys ran to join the two.

"You must be Snover. We're Team Banshee. What happened?" Introduced Ezra, looking worriedly at the volcano.

"Ugh...Cordy and I were caught by surprise by the storm yesterday. We tried to run, but we both tripped and fell down the mountain," Began Snover, nodding at the mountain behind him. It was a steep climb up to the top of the volcano; falling down it must have been painful. "I think I broke my foot in the fall, so that's why I couldn't escape..."

"I'm so sorry!" Wailed Cordy, embracing her teammate while taking care not to disturb his injured foot. "I should have made sure you were behind me! I tried and tried to go through the dungeon again, but you know me, I'm not good at offense..."

"I forgive you. I'm just glad to see you again." Snover assured her, hugging her. He turned to the volcano behind him.

"That thing will blow any second. I'd rather not learn what barbecue feels like anytime soon." He warned. Indeed, a large, ominous shade of gray puff of smoke had wafted from the mountain.

"On it." Said Ezra as she broke an Escape Orb.

They found themselves at the base of the mountain. Rose used her String Shot and a couple of sticks to create a makeshift splint for Snover. Franziska had created crude crutches out of a small tree using her X-Scissor and Razor Shell. That done, Ezra pulled out the Warp Orb she had brought specifically for this mission. She broke it, willing the orb to take them to Firewood City.

Instead, they found themselves a few miles from the city. As they walked, a large tremor shook the ground. The six turned to the distant volcano, and watched it erupt. Fortunately, they were out of the danger zone. They watched the volcano for a few minutes, then they focused on getting Snover to a hospital.

"Thanks for rescuing me. I would have been burnt to a crisp if you guys hadn't shown up." Snover said gratefully as he lay in a hospital bed. His foot was placed in a cast, and he was to stay off of it until it healed.

"No problem. I'm just glad we're all safe." Said Ezra, smiling.

"We have a gift for you." Cordy piped up shyly. She reached into her team's bag, and pulled out a piece of paper that looked quite old. She carefully handed it to Ezra.

The paper turned out to be an old map of the continent, with numbers for latitude and longitude on the sides. There was something written in the top-left corner, but it was in a language Ezra didn't know.

"We've tried and tried to decode that map, but no one seems to know what it says. To be honest, it's just taking up space at this point, and we have no use for it anymore. We'd like you to have it." Snover shrugged.

"Oh...are you sure? This could be a map to priceless treasure." Frowned Ezra.

"Please, take it! Before the storm, we were actually considering going after outlaws only. We work well as a team, Cordy and I. With a little more experience, we could take down many outlaws and help the world one criminal at a time!" Explained Snover.

"Well...if you say so. Thank you very much." Ezra hesitated for just one second before putting the map in their bag.

"We should get going if we want to make it before sunset." Warned Rose.

"Oh, okay. Goodbye, Team Banshee! Goodbye, Franziska and Rose!" Waved Cordy.

"Thanks again for what you did! I'll never forget it!" Waved Snover as the four headed home.

"May I see that map?"Asked Rose as the four walked home. Ezra handed it over to the Leavanny.

"I don't know what we're going to do with it, to be honest. Maybe Sora might know the language?" She shrugged.

"I could try to decode it." Franziska offered. Ezra and Carys stared at her. Franziska was a cook, not a scholar. Seeing their looks of bewilderment, she continued curtly, "I majored in food preparation, and minored in archeology. I still have my notes from when my class would go and visit ruins; I might have the key written down somewhere. Never underestimate your allies!" She chided.

"Sorry." Team Banshee apologized meekly.

"Hmph. Just try not to do it again." Franziska sniffed.

"We won't, Franzy." Carys grinned wickedly, then dodged the Dewott's incoming Razor Shell.

**I don't feel right unless I include references to various works of entertainment. This story is chock full of them~**

**The next post shall contain: a job, a discovery, and a new quest.**


	56. Chapter 56

They arrived home shortly after sunset. Rose offered to take over cooking duties so Franziska could study the map. The Dewott agreed, and shut herself in her room, coming out only for Rose's dinner of salad and spaghetti. It wasn't as heavenly as Franziska's recipe, but it was tasty all the same.

The next morning brought no word of progress from Franziska, who was still studying in her room. Rose made pancakes for everyone, and afterward Team Banshee decided to pass the time with a job.

The job they picked took place in Seafoam Sea on B10F. A Bonsly had gotten himself trapped in the dungeon while beach combing, and desperately needed someone to save him from the watery dungeon. He would pay a Pecha Scarf as reward. Team Banshee didn't really need a Pecha Scarf, but they were always willing to help someone out.

* * *

**Seafoam Sea ( watch?v=Xq-8nVAVXOA)**

**B1F**

The floor was a seagreen color, and consisted of a shallow tide that barely touched Ezra's arms. The water was clear, and the sand underneath Ezra's feet felt like she was walking on clouds. The water was also quite warm, as Seafoam Sea was close to the underwater volcano in Scorched Cape, Azelf's old home. The walls were composed of smooth green coral. Around the edges of the chamber lay deeper water. The only thing that put a damper on the scenery was a Lileep, which was quickly stalking towards them.

Lately, Ezra and Carys didn't need to fear the Pokemon in dungeons they haven't visited in a while. They had grown stronger over the course of their quest, and they found they didn't need to exert that much strength anymore.

Carys began the fight with Trick-or-Treat, summoning hordes of candy, which she eagerly dove into, munching happily. Ezra, shaking her head wearily, turned to the newly made ghost-type and launched a Hex at it.

Lileep's Ability, Suction Cups, prevented it from being knocked off its feet, but it also ensured that the Pokemon wasn't fast at all. It had no time to dodge the attack. It tried to protect itself with Amnesia, but its new buff was not enough to withstand her Hex.

As it fell, Carys had finished her meal, chocolate all over her face.

"Good job." She said, dipping into the water to clean her face.

**B2F**

"The seastairs of the seagreen Seafoam Sea by the seashore!" Shouted Carys, racing towards the Stairs.

**B3F**

A Corsola and a Remoraid had found them in a chamber. The two ghost-types fought side-by-side, countering and combining attacks together.

Multiple Rock Blasts from Corsola put Ezra in a world of pain, but she knew Carys would soon defeat the dreaded rock- and water-type.

Indeed, one Razor Leaf from Carys ensured that the Corsola would never hurt Ezra again. Now all they had left was the Remoraid,which looked worried now that its partner was gone. It attempted to hit Ezra with Bubblebeam, but Carys leaped in front of the attack to take it for Ezra. It was a good thing, too, as that Bubblebeam would have done serious damage to the already-hurt Ezra.

Carys shut it down with Confuse Ray, then Razor Leaf. The foe gone, she handed an Oran Berry to a very grateful Ezra, who hugged her best friend.

**B4F**

They had split up to collect items at opposite end of the chamber they were in, which was big enough to hold 1/4 of a Wailord.

When they finally joined up again, Carys handed a black seed to Ezra.

"This is a Via Seed. It's a lookalike item for Vile Seeds, which lower your defense and special defense, but instead this will raise your attack and special attack." Carys said, an odd grin on her face.

Ezra took the seed.

"Thanks." She said, smiling as she ate it.

Suddenly, a familiar, unpleasant feeling tugged at her. Why was she about to be teleported...?

"I lied. Via Seeds actually make you warp." Laughed Carys.

"What?! Oh, you are so—see ya!" She said unexpectedly. She meant to threaten Carys, but the phrase 'see ya' came unbidden to her lips. With that said, she warped to another room.

She found Carys again a few minutes later, and the laughing Pumpkaboo had to dodge multiple Flame Bursts before Ezra was satisfied she learned her lesson.

**B5F**

They were fighting a Staryu in a hall. It had somehow survived Ezra's Night Shade, and had healed itself with Recover. It blasted her with Power Gem, sending her straight into Carys, knocking them both to the ground in a stunned heap. Taking advantage of their opening, the Staryu hit them both with Brine.

It wasn't enough to overly hurt Carys, but it was enough to make Ezra hiss in pain. Ready to attack again, she prepared a Hex, creating a purple wave of energy that formed an eye in the middle. She launched the attack, and this time, the Staryu fainted.

**B6F**

"Stairs are the best!" Laughed Carys.

**B7F**

In a hall, the most absurd thing occurred. A Magikarp was blocking their way, and was trying to attack them. ...In reality, though, it was just flopping around uselessly. Ezra and Carys looked at each other, then burst out laughing. This weak little thing thought it could defeat _them_? Preposterous!

Ezra ended it mercifully with a Night Shade.

**B8F**

Upon spawning, Ezra spotted one of life's mysteries. Carys noticed as well, and groaned loudly.

"Blue Gummmmmiiiiiii!" Ezra shrieked, dashing over to it and picking it up.

"Why on earth do they taste like watermelon? Wouldn't just water do?" She mused, getting back into an old and familiar argument.

"Water doesn't really have a taste, Ezra." Sighed Carys, coming over.

"Maybe not a definite one, but water does have a taste!" Argued Ezra, pocketing the Gummi.

The two exited the chamber, arguing long and hard about why Blue Gummis tasted like watermelon instead of water.

**B9F**

There were two Corsolas in a chamber that were being annoying. They were ganging up on Ezra, who was avidly trying to dodge their attacks, and would use Recover whenever they were hit.

"Ah!" Ezra shouted as she was hit by an Ancientpower. She was having a horrible time, and wished the foes would faint already.

Weakly, she attempted to use Hex on one of them, but it dodged and aimed a Bubblebeam at her. Carys took the attack for Ezra, and followed up with a Razor Leaf, critically hitting one of the Corsolas. Thankfully, it went down, leaving only one more.

The remaining Corsola wasn't giving up yet, however. It hit Carys with Ancientpower, but the Pumpkaboo tanked the attack, knowing that the Corsola wouldn't do too much damage to her. Ezra stealthily crept behind the Corsola, as its attention was now focused on Carys.

She used Night Shade from behind it, and as it turned to see what was attacking it, Carys ended it with Razor Leaf.

**B10F**

_Ping! w_ent their badges, confirming their job description. Knowing that their client was around, the duo set off, looking carefully in each chamber they encountered, battling foes along the way.

Eventually, they found him, cornered by a Remoraid. The Remoraid didn't notice them come in, and easily fell to Carys' Razor Leaf.

"Oh! An exploration team! Thank the stars!" Bonsly cried in relief as he spotted the two.

"We're Team Banshee. We're here to rescue you, Bonsly." Announced Ezra as she sent the client out of the dungeon. A second later, they were out, too.

* * *

**Lily Town**

"Thanks for rescuing me! I thought I was a goner!" Bonsly bowed in respect. "Here is the Pecha Scarf, as promised."

He handed over a pink scarf, which Ezra put into their bag.

"It was our pleasure. Stay safe!" She smiled in return.

"Will do. Have a nice day." Bonsly nodded, and walked out of the building.

It was a good thing they had gotten back when they did, as Franziska called everyone to dinner a second after the door closed.

She made made a simple meal of soup for dinner, as she wanted more time to decode the map. Even though it wasn't as extravagant as her other meals, the food was rich and hearty, full of fresh vegetables and garnished in just the right amount of pepper and chives. Franziska truly had a gift with food.

After dinner, Team Banshee were playing Go Fish with Team Triple S when the Dewott came bursting into the commons room, map in hand. Panting, she gazed wildly around the room, until her eyes settled on the two ghost-types.

"I did it! I've deciphered the map!" She yelled at them, beckoning them over.

Excited, the two came over to peer over Franziska's shoulders.

"When I was in college, I took a course on forgotten languages of this continent. I wrote everything down back then, and I never threw anything out, in case I might need it one day. As it turns out, I had the key to the language on the map! It took me all day to decipher it, but it reads: 'To learn the location of the Original's test, the answer lies at 15S, 70W'." She explained.

"'The Original's test'? What does that mean?" Asked Ezra, frowning.

"I think it means the Original One's dungeon! Ezra, this is exactly what we needed to know! ...Aside from where the rest of the Shards and the Space Globe are, of course." Carys amended hastily.

"That is what I believe this map leads to as well. The coordinates must be where either Celestial Spire lies, or a clue as to where it is." Franziska deduced.

"Either way, we have a long journey ahead of us." Said Ezra, looking at the map. Off the southeastern corner of the continent lay a large, oval-shaped island. It was at the westernmost point of this strip of land where the coordinates joined.

"I'm ready for whatever is there." Grinned Carys.

**I accidentally mixed up Flash Fire with Flame Body in the last post. Please disregard that huge error. In addition, don't be afraid to give constructive criticism! It was thanks to such critique that I was made aware of my mistake, and will thus never make it again. **

**The next post (with hopefully no mistakes) will contain: hidden ruins, an old foe, and an Unbound ally.**


	57. Chapter 57

They spent their morning preparing for the journey. They packed loads of food, health items, and of course, an Escape Orb if things went awry.

They set off shortly before noon, and were fortunate to eventually encounter a Dragonite that was willing to give them a lift to the island. Ezra and Carys watched the land get smaller and smaller as the Dragonite flew higher into the air. They admired the landscapes below, and even found a few dungeons they had been to before. A few hours into the flight, the sea was under them, and the island soon after.

The Dragonite dropped them off at the entrance to a think forest on the westernmost part of the island. They thanked it profusely for its help, and paid it 500 Poke for its trouble.

Team Banshee looked around, but whatever they were looking for wasn't here.

"Maybe it's in the forest?" Suggested Carys, turning to the dense glade behind them. It was worth a shot, so they entered, making sure they never strayed from the path.

An hour in, and they could find no signs of Celestial Spire, or a clue as to where its location was. True, the dungeon was invisible, but there was no gap big enough for a tower in the trees above.

Eventually, the path ended in front of a large rock wall.

"Well. Now what?"Asked Ezra.

"I dunno. Maybe there's a hidden passageway behind the wall?" Suggested Carys.

The two walked up together to the ground, and promptly fell through a hidden hole in the ground.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" They screamed as they fell.

**Hidden Ruins (**** watch?v=HaZ-g8pxdKs****)**

They landed with a painful crash on something hard and uncomfortable. Ezra felt nothing but pain for a few seconds. When it finally subsided, the duo carefully got back up. They seemed to be in an old ruin. Faded drawings were scattered across the walls, and crumbling pillars held the roof aloft.

"Where are we?" Ezra asked, her voice echoing in the dark pit. She looked up, and could see the hole they fell through.

"It's some sort of dungeon, I think. Look, there's an exit up ahead. It might lead to a way out of here, or treasure. Maybe this leads to Celestial Spire, or has a map of its location!" Carys said.

Well, no matter what it led to, they only had one way to go. Cautiously and slowly, the two headed for the exit.

**B1F**

The dungeon was dark and gloomy. The air was stale and musty, and they could barely see anything in the dim light. The walls were made of a dark goldenrod-colored wood, and the walls were jagged smoky-gray rock. Small rocks littered the floor of the chamber. All in all, it was a pretty depressing place. The only good thing was that they had spawned in with the Stairs.

**B2F**

They were fighting a Bronzor and a Baltoy. Carys was taking care of the Baltoy, while Ezra dealt with the Bronzor. It hit her with Psywave, making her wince but otherwise leaving her unhurt. She returned the favor with Ember, and was hit with a Faint Attack for her troubles.

The momentum sent her a few steps back, and she had the air knocked out of her lungs for a second. Sensing an opportunity, the Bronzor tried to dive at her with Gyro Ball, but she stopped the attack with a Flame Burst at point-blank range. The Bronzor fell at the same time the Baltoy did.

Ezra and Carys looked at each other, and smiled winningly. They knew they were awesome.

**B3F**

It was odd, the way the dungeon Pokemon seemed to have a homing sense. Ezra and Carys had entered a _gigantic_ chamber with three Pokemon in it. The second they stepped in it, all three foes immediately started racing towards them. As they grew closer, Ezra could see that all three were Zubats. Annoying, but manageable.

She hit an unsuspecting Zubat with Flame Burst as it got within shooting range. Carys finished it off with Shadow Sneak as it was trying to recover from the attack.

The remaining two Zubats flew in together, hoping that the ghost-types couldn't handle two enemies. Oh, but they could.

Ezra dodged a Confuse Ray from a Zubat by jumping high into the air. While still suspended, she retaliated with another Flame Burst, knowing that the attack would spread to encompass the other foe. She landed on the ground only to be swept off her feet with a Wing Attack from the Zubat she hit, who was thoroughly angry by now.

It hovered over her, preparing an Air Slash. Just before it could hit her, Carys knocked it out with Shadow Sneak, already having defeated the other Zubat.

"Thanks for that." Breathed Ezra, getting back up again to catch her breath.

**B4F**

They came across a Hunger Seed while exploring a small chamber. Ezra was going to leave it be when Carys got an idea.

"Wait...I just thought of something." She said. Ezra turned around, curious.

"If...if it ever comes to us fighting the Creation Trio—one in particular—then...we could beat him with this seed! He'd become immobilized, and we could keep hitting him over and over until he's defeated!" She explained eagerly.

Ezra was astounded. This was an excellent plan! Why hadn't they thought of this before? She stared at the Hunger Seed in a new light. This seed, if it ever came down to it, might save their lives.

"You're right. You're right! This Hunger Seed _could_ stop Him! If we ever come across any more, let's pick them up." She agreed excitedly.

**B5F**

Whilst wandering through a chamber, the duo came across a Foe-Fear Orb. Seeing as how it'd be useful for Monster Houses or general unpleasantness, Ezra tucked it away for safekeeping.

Later, the duo did indeed spring a Monster House by accident. What was worse, the Stairs were located in this chamber as well. Not wanting to risk their necks, Ezra unwillingly used their Foe-Fear Orb, rendering all of the enemies into cowardly, fleeing wretches.

With no more foes to contend with for a few more seconds, Ezra and Carys wasted no time in picking up the Green Gummi and Gold Gummi that were in the room before descending down the Stairs.

**B6F**

In a chamber, a Natu and Baltoy were starting to give them trouble. The Baltoy had hit Ezra with Ancientpower, and the attack had buffed all of its stats. An Earth Power, combined with the Natu's Ominous Wind, had cut Ezra's health down to about 1/3. She was going to be in big trouble soon.

Getting back up was a challenge, and so was summoning a Night Shade, but she managed to pull the attack off. It went wide, however, and the Natu sent her flying with Psychic.

When she landed on the ground with a thump, she felt the floor underneath give way completely.

By some odd streak of luck, the Natu and sent her straight onto a Pitfall Trap.

**B7F**

She fell down to the next floor, and landed right on top of a sleeping Kadabra. Enraged at having its slumber disturbed, it began attacking. Carys appeared next to her a second later, just in time to be hit by a Psycho Cut.

"Ow!" She yelled, not expecting to be suddenly thrust into the middle of a fight. In retaliation, she turned it into a ghost-type, and the duo ended it with a combination of Shadow Sneak and Night Shade.

"Warn me next time you fall down to the next floor, will you?" She said irritably at Ezra.

**B8F**

"Hello, Stairs! What's your name? Is it Carys, like mine? Or Eris? Ferris? Harris? Paris?" Asked Carys to the Stairs, which didn't answer her.

—**Waypoint—**

To their surprise, they encountered a waypoint. The terrain was the same, albeit the walls were lined with small pools of water. Ezra went to touch the Kangaskhan statue.

"A waypoint, eh? Either means a boss is up ahead or something special is." She commented, coming back to join Carys.

"Oh, there isn't a boss at the end. I checked."A familiar voice came from nowhere.

In front of them, a large gold ring appeared. The inside shimmered, and Hoopa came jumping through it.

"Hello!" He greeted, grabbing his hoop and hula-hooping with it.

"Hoopa! What are you doing here?" Asked Ezra, surprised.

"Two things! One, I heard you two were in a dungeon that wasn't on the list, so I've been watching you, making sure everything was okay. I went ahead and looked at the end. There isn't a boss, but there's something interesting on the back wall. I found it funny. Maybe you will too." He said, looking at them with a twinkle in his eyes.

"And the second thing?" Carys prompted.

"Oh, yeah! I found the rest of the Shards! There were more out there than you told me. I guess _He_ knows the reckoning is close. Anyway, there are five more you need to find. Team Siren's found one, and they'll find another soon. I looked ahead for them. I left a note about what dungeons the Shards lie in my room. I'll fetch it when you guys get back." Reported Hoopa.

"You seriously found them all? That's...amazing." Whistled Ezra. Hoopa had just saved them days of pointless searching. "Thank you so much!"

"It's whatever. But...hurry up with the rest of the things you need, okay? The Shards I found, combined with the ones you already have, mean that the Original One only has two left. It can't survive very long without them." Hoopa frowned, looking worried.

Ezra bit her lip. Only two left? That was unsettling...They'd seriously have to step up their game plan. They needed the remaining three Shards, the Space Globe, and Dialga and Palkia's items, as well as their dungeon locations...They had so much left to do, and not a lot of time to do it all in. They'd be cutting Arceus' life close, that's for sure.

"We'll do our best. Thanks for the heads-up, Hoopa." Carys nodded.

Hoopa nodded in return.

"I have to get back to work, but I'll be silently watching and cheering you on. Bye bye!" He said as he jumped through his hoop, leaving them alone.

Feeling an urge to hurry and get their current quest over with, the two immediately pressed on.

**Lower Hidden Ruins ( watch?v=-y1gVVAdnbw)**

**B1F**

At least there were now some signs of life down in this decrepit, abandoned cave. The floor was now made of yellow-brown rock, with a few tufts of scraggly grass growing in the cracks between the rocks. The teal walls were slightly smoother, and even had yellow moss growing on it. Instead of spawning with the Stairs this time, they had to contend with a Claydol.

It launched an Ancientpower at them, but they countered with a combined Razor Leaf and Flame Burst, creating a small explosion in the middle of the fray. Despite the smoke, the duo sent off another volley of the same attack to where the Claydol had been, taking advantage of the loss of vision. Even though none of the battlers could see the other, it meant they had no idea where an attack would come from. A cry from Claydol told them that they had hit their target.

The smoke cleared, and they saw their foe shaking its head clear of pain. Enraged, it attempted to KO one of them with Hyper Beam, but the duo dove out of the way at the last second, feeling the heat of the attack on their backs.

The Claydol stood unmoving, having to recharge before it could attack again. Seeing an opportunity, Ezra and Carys dove at the Claydol, hitting it with one last Razor-Shade combo before it succumbed to the attacks.

The duo fell to the ground, panting. The foes in this place were certainly stronger than the ones in the first half. They'd have to be extra careful.

**B2F**

They came across something they hadn't seen in a long time. In front of them lay a sealed door that could only be opened by a Key. They hadn't seen any Keys in this dungeon, but that didn't mean they couldn't grab whatever was inside.

Carys dove through the wall, and came out a second later holding a purple stone.

"A Dusk Stone. If you were a Lampent, you could use this to evolve into a Chandelure. ...Huh, we haven't encountered a sealed door since Moonlit Meadow." She explained.

Ezra took the stone, feeling it settle heavily in her hands. If she chose, once they saved the world, she could evolve into her final form with this. She hadn't thought much about evolution, since it was currently off-limits, but if evolution became accessible again...What would she do?

She found she had no answers. She didn't know if she wanted to remain a Litwick, or become a Lampent, then a Chandelure.

She put the Dusk Stone in the bag. No use worrying about it now; she'd think about the life-altering decision once she could actually make it happen.

**B3F**

Instead of Ezra triggering a trap, it was Carys who did. The Pumpkaboo had split up from Ezra to grab some Iron Thorns when she set off a Summon Trap, summoning a Bronzong, Natu, and a Kadabra. Ezra raced over to help her friend with the three foes.

Er, make that _two _foes. For whatever reason, the Natu used Teleport, warping itself to some other part of the map, leaving only the Bronzong and Kadabra.

Ezra hit the Bronzong—and by extension—Kadabra with Flame Burst, making both turn around, leaving themselves open to Carys. The Bronzong launched a Psywave at her that almost knocked her off her feet. She stood strong, though, and retaliated with another Flame Burst, hoping to weaken the Kadabra as well.

From behind, Carys attempted to pin a Confuse Ray on Kadabra. It sensed the attack, and jumped out of the way, hitting her with Psybeam.

Meanwhile, Ezra was unfortunate enough to fall victim to the Bronzong's Confuse Ray. Her head began spinning, and everything went blurry. She couldn't tell what was up or down, and tried to aim a Hex at the Bronzong. She didn't know it, but she hit the Kadabra instead.

When the confusion wore off, she was hit by a Psywave. The attack, however, was enough to slap some sense into her. She ended the Bronzong with Night Shade as Carys ended the Kadabra with Razor Leaf.

**B4F**

"There's the Stairs!" Declared Carys.

**B5F**

"More Stairs! Aw yeah!" Laughed Carys.

**B6F**

A Golbat and a Xatu were blocking their way in a hall. They were fighting the Golbat, and the Xatu was impatiently waiting behind it. Although the Xatu couldn't do much in the cramped space, it could give its ally a speed boost. It whipped up a powerful gust of wind, boosting it and the Golbat's speed temporarily.

Although it was speedy, there wasn't much it could with the new agility in the corridor. The ceiling of the dungeon was set low, so it could hardly dodge by flying upwards. It could, however, attack quickly.

Ezra grunted as she was hit by an Air Slash. Shaking her head clear of pain, she returned the favor with Hex. Carys followed up with Shadow Sneak, and the Golbat chittered in consternation. Quickly, it hit Ezra twice with Bite, making her scream in agony. She fell to the floor, pain flooding her senses.

Behind her, Carys hit the Golbat with Shadow Sneak again while tossing an Oran Berry at Ezra, who gladly ate it. Before the foe could hurt her, she ended the foe with Flame Burst, leaving only the Xatu, who gladly stepped up to brawl with them.

It held out its wings a foot apart, and sent a dusky purple wind at them, bowling both of them over and making them wail in pain.

Warily, they got back up again, determined to defeat the Xatu before it could hit them with Ominous Wind once more. Ezra happily hit it with Hex, with Carys Shadow Sneaking from behind. The Xatu attempted to hit them with Ominous Wind again, but the duo were prepared this time, flattening themselves to the ground as low as they could go. They could feel the power of the attack above them, and Ezra's flame swayed precariously against the onslaught.

Ezra jumped up, and defeated the foe with a Night Shade to the face. She landed gracefully, dusted herself off, and confidently strode further into the dungeon.

**B7F**

Team Banshee had just entered a chamber when Ezra accidentally set off a Poison Trap.

"Carys! I thought you said you could now see traps!" She yelled as she clutched her punctured feet.

"I thought I could, too..." Carys trailed off, confused. "Hey, Hoopa! You there?" She called loudly, looking up at the ceiling.

He appeared in the dungeon a second later.

"Yeah?" He greeted.

"I need you to do me a favor. Go to our room, look in the chest, and give me a book titled 'Various Dungeon Items'. I'll sneak you one of Franzy's donuts if you do." Carys told him.

"Ten donuts." Hoopa bartered, crossing his arms.

"Seven." Countered Carys.

"...Fine. One sec." He said, disappearing back into his hoop.

"Bring me a Pecha Berry too!" Yelled Ezra, sitting down so her movements wouldn't speed up the poison traveling slowly to her heart.

Hoopa reappeared, this time holding a large book with a thick brown cover, and a Pecha Berry, which he tossed to a grateful Ezra.

Carys flipped through the book until she found the page she was looking for. A large note was stuck to one of the entries. Carys groaned.

"I had forgotten! The Trap Scarf paragraph was a misprint!" To Ezra and Hoopa, she explained. "I minored in Pokemon Studies. As part of the degree, I had to take a course on dungeon items. When we got to the section of Trap Scarves, I learned that my book had misprinted their effects, so I wrote down the real description on a sticky note. According to my notes, Trap Scarves actually prevent the _wearer_ from setting them off, not everyone in the party, and I can't actually see traps. This thing's useless; would you like to trade? That way, you won't get hit by Warp Traps or Slumber Traps." She offered to Ezra, who agreed.

Ezra swapped her Insomniscope for the Trap Scarf, and Carys put on her old Stamina Band.

"Thanks Hoopa. I'll ask Franzy to make extra donuts tomorrow." Carys told Hoopa, who grabbed Carys' old textbook and disappeared again.

**B8F**

They were fighting an Alakazam in a hall. The intelligent foe was craftily avoiding their attacks while at the same time hitting them hard. It would use Kinesis and Disable whenever they'd try to attack. If by some miracle they _did_ land a hit, it'd use Recover. Then it would beat them silly with Psycho Cut. Suffice to say, the duo were getting tired of this cunning foe.

Carys hit it with Trick-or-Treat, as the attack could not be dodged, so at least if they managed to hit it twice it would be defeated. _If_ they managed to hit it twice.

Ezra dodged a Psycho Cut, hoping that eventually the Alakazam would run out of offensive moves, and be limited to its regular attack. She just had to keep dodging. Wait...she was an idiot!

"Carys! Wall! Now!" She shouted, remembering that she could go into the walls.

The duo dove into the walls surrounding their foe, sandwiching it between them. Now it could either flee, let them go, or stand there and let them defeat it. Being a born-and-bred dungeon Pokemon, it chose the third option. It could see them through the wall, but since it didn't have throwing items, couldn't attack them. It could, however, destroy their accuracy and Disable their attacks. The Alakazam abused this cheap trick relentlessly. Eventually, Carys and Ezra were reduced to using their regular attacks. Again, when the foe had low health, it used Recover.

Fed up with it all, Ezra threw a Sleep Seed at it. Miraculously, the foe didn't dodge, and fell asleep, finally allowing the duo to defeat it at last.

**Hidden Chamber**

The first thing they noticed was how dark and ominous the room looked. They had entered a large, black room with elegant columns stretching all the way to the high ceiling. Long-unused torches were held on sconces set at regular intervals along the walls. Ezra helpfully lit all of them with Ember, providing the only light—aside from her flame and the glow from Carys' torso—in the dreary chamber. It was cold in this place, and every step they took sent clouds of dust swirling into the air, choking them. Clearly, this room hadn't been occupied in years. Decades, maybe, or even centuries.

On the back wall, they could see a large painting. They walked up for a closer look, and gasped to see that the entire back wall was nothing more than a large map—albeit an outdated one; there was a large island off the northernmost coast that didn't exist anymore—of the entire continent. There, dead center in the map, was a gold and green symbol. It was almost ring-shaped, and looked quite like a distorted, circular 'H'. The points of the "ring" had small green circles at each end. What struck Ezra the most about this peculiar design was how much it reminded her of the ring that surrounded Arceus.

At this thought, she realized that the symbol on the wall looked _exactly_ like Arceus' ring.

"Carys..." She started to say.

"You see it too?" Her friend answered. Ezra nodded silently.

"Celestial Spire...it's right in the middle of this land! I wonder...I wonder if Celestial Spire marks where Ar—the Original One started to shape the world..." She whispered.

"It might just be." Agreed Carys.

They stared up at the large, fading map. It was astonishing to think that this relic from ancient times had survived all these years. Looking across it, Ezra could see mountain ranges, lakes, and islands that had crumbled into oblivion over the years. These landmarks had completely vanished; what would vanish from existence in the far distant future?

After a few moments, the awe of finding this hidden relic began to fade. She was starting to get hungry; it must be close to dinnertime. They would still need to find a ride home as well.

"We should get back home and tell the others what we've found." She suggested, rubbing a kink in her neck.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." A voice they never expected to hear said from behind them.

They turned, and their fears were confirmed. There, blocking the entrance, was Team Renegade.

"What are you three doing here? There's nothing here but an ancient map." Demanded Ezra, feeling adrenaline and fear course through her. This was the first time they'd encountered the trio ever since Ezra told Formora her identity.

Instead of answering, Formora laughed.

"Oh, this week is turning out to be wonderful! I get to kill my greatest enemy, and watch a traitor drown! I never expected to find you here; perhaps it is fate telling me it is time?" She grinned, looking unsettlingly bloodthirsty.

"You're outnumbered with no place to go. Why don't you just surrender, Ezra?" Formora asked gently, almost lovingly.

Ezra felt a quick chill run through her. She had never heard Formora speak her name before. Something had clearly changed within the Froslass.

"You're one to talk. You three are as trapped on this island as we are. Kialandi can't fly with both you and Firnen on his back. And once I out who you three are, every Pokemon on this islands will ensure that you three are taken into custody!" She yelled, trying to sound brave. In truth, the sadistic trio scared her.

"Wait, you don't know?" Asked Kialandi, looking confused. Before Team Banshee could ask what he meant, Formora spoke again.

"Oh...I was afraid you'd say that. That hurts me, Ezra. It really does. That _**hurts **_me...like...**this.**" As she had been speaking, Formora had bent down to pick up a sharp-looking rock. Now, she dug the rock deep into her left arm, a red oozing line forming where she cut herself. While she was doing this, she kept her gaze locked onto Ezra, never once breaking eye contact. Her wide, malicious grin never faltered even a bit as she cut her arm. Team Banshee couldn't take their eyes off the scene. It was horrifying to watch, yet they found they couldn't look away. If Formora was willing to hurt herself like that, there was no telling what she'd be willing to do to them.

With a sudden laugh, Formora threw a Shadow Ball at them, knocking them over like bowling pins.

**Boss Battle—! ( watch?v=HHFYORrFp8U)**

Immediately, the two scrambled behind a column, shielding themselves from view. It was a flimsy hiding spot, but at least it would give them a few moments to think up a strategy.

"If we can hit Kialandi and Firnen with status moves, then we can focus on the crazed lunatic who wants to kill us." Whispered Ezra, listening hard for any sounds the enemy might make.

"I'll turn them both into ghost-types. That'll help, at least. And I can probably nail one of them with Confuse Ray. If you can hit the other with a Stun, Sleep, or X-Eye Seed, then we might stand a chance." Carys whispered back.

Ezra had no time for a reply, because at that moment, the pillar they were hiding behind exploded, sending the two flying until they hit the back wall. A second later, they fell to the ground. Ezra looked up in time to see an airborne Kialandi's ending an attack. A pink sphere of energy was just fading from the front of his mouth. From the scorch marks around them, it seemed the attack was Draco Meteor.

"Hmm, it's a bit cold in here." Mused Formora, crossing her arms.

"I can heat things up if you'd like." Offered Ezra, making her flame rise higher for effect.

"I'd prefer the opposite, actually. The cold makes me stronger." With this, Formora glowed a transparent light blue. She rose high into the chamber, where thick clouds inexplicably formed. As she gently descended, hail began falling from the clouds, pelting everyone.

The good news was, Kialandi and Firnen were affected by the weather as well. When they had last fought them, they'd been wearing Weather Bands. Now, Firnen had a royal blue cloth tied around his neck, and Kialandi wore a green and black scarf.

"Royal Silk and a Vibra Scarf. The Silk makes Firnen's attacks stronger, and the Vibra Scarf prevents Kialandi from falling asleep."Murmured Carys to Ezra, who nodded, then winced as a chunk of hail hit her.

"There! Much better." Commented Formora, enjoying the weather.

Ezra launched a Flame Burst at her, but the Formora suddenly disappeared. Ezra turned all around, trying to find her.

"Boo." Formora said from behind right before she hit them both with a Shadow Ball.

"Ergh...her Snow Cloak boosts her speed and evasiveness!" Shouted Carys.

"Indeed, Formora is unstoppable now!" Laughed Kialandi as his wings glowed white.

"That's 'My Lady' to you!" Formora screamed, whipping around to face him. Kialandi and Firnen looked dumbfounded by this order. They looked at each other in confusion, and Kialandi's wings turned back to normal.

"Well don't just stand there, help me!" Formora yelled impatiently as she sent an Ice Beam at Carys, who became frozen. A Dragonbreath from Kialandi was all it took to make her faint.

She revived again a second later, shaking her head. Ezra winced. They only had three Reviver Seeds left now. Carys then used Trick-or-Treat twice in quick succession, adding the ghost-type to Kialandi and Firnen.

"What the...?" Said Firnen.

"We're part ghost-type now. But nevertheless, it shall not stop us!" Explained Kialandi, having gotten over his confusion. He leaped into the air, his wings glowing white. He flapped them hard, and a large sound wave shot from his wings and straight onto Ezra.

"Ah!" She yelled, being hit by the sonic blast. She stood there, dazed, her head ringing. The hail did not help this. A second later, she shook her head, and sent a Hex at Kialandi.

He dodged easily, and Formora threw another Shadow Ball at her. She leaped behind a pillar, escaping the attack.

"Hah! You missed!" She shouted, gloating.

"Hehe, my bad." Formora appeared next to her, and this time her Shadow Ball did not miss. Ezra too fainted.

Two left.

When she revived, she saw that Carys had successfully used Confuse Ray on Kialandi. She also saw that Firnen was bounding towards her, his tusks glowing bright white. She narrowly dodged his Guillotine, jumping on top of him just as he brought his head down to where she had been a second ago.

"Get off!" Firnen shouted, trying to pry her off. Ezra clung for dear life.

An extra powerful icy blast was what eventually knocked her off. She looked to see what happened, she saw that Firnen had been hit as well.

"You hit me!" He told Formora, who appeared unconcerned.

"You were in the way." She replied before renewing the Hail.

"YAH!" Carys shouted from across the room. Ezra turned, and watched as a Shadow Ball raced past her and into Firnen, who was knocked backwards.

"Shadow Ball. I forgot Shadow Sneak." Carys told Ezra as the two joined to hit the confused Kialandi with Night Shade and Razor Leaf. He fell, but was not yet defeated.

"How unoriginal." Commented Formora as she hit them with her own Shadow Ball.

Ezra attempted to throw an X-Eye Seed at the Froslass, but her Snow Cloak made it too easy for her to dodge. She disappeared, only to reappear behind Carys. She grabbed Carys by the ruffle atop her head. Formora raised a hand, and blasted a Blizzard point-blank in Carys' face. It wasn't surprising that she fainted.

One left.

Formora turned her attention to Ezra, her teammates joining her. Kialandi had snapped out of his confusion, and was nonchalantly stalking towards her with his teammates.

Ezra hit them with Flame Burst, but they didn't appear overly hurt. Kialandi looked as if he could use an Oran Berry, but other than that the team was largely unscathed. They had scrapes and scratches, but they appeared eager for more battling.

"How...?" Ezra faltered. That Flame Burst should have at least made Formora cry out.

"We've trained." Formora explained, grinning widely.

"Shadow Ball!" Came Carys' cry. Formora turned just in time to be hit by the attack.

"Keep her busy." She told Kialandi, who gladly flew off to engage Carys again.

Ezra dodged Firnen's Dragon Claw, but his Giga Impact made her see stars. She felt a Shadow Ball hit her, and then an earth-shattering Earth Power.

She tried her hardest to get back up. It was a huge struggle, and every movement sent waves of pain through her, but Ezra was not about to let the world down yet.

She summoned her Hex, and threw it at the two. Formora disappeared once more, and Firnen jumped out of the way. She felt a hand grab her, and she was yanked painfully up into the air, dangling from her arm. She found that Formora had grabbed her arm with one hand, and in the other one, her cut arm, was preparing a Shadow Ball.

Ezra looked into Formora's eyes for a brief second, and found only evil there. Evil, and something darker, more sinister. Before Ezra could figure out what it was, she was hit by the Shadow Ball, where she fainted.

None left.

Formora and Kialandi tossed their foes in the center of the room, all three cackling wickedly.

Ezra and Carys got up, feeling dread settle over them. They had no more Reviver Seeds. Could they somehow pull this off...? It didn't seem likely.

Team Renegade prepared one more Shadow Ball, Guillotine, and Draco Meteor. Before, they could strike, a small figure bowled into them, sending them flying.

"That's what you get for hurting my friends!" Hoopa stormed, standing in front of the three.

"Hoopa! What are you doing here?" Asked Ezra, surprised and grateful to see him.

"I decided to check in on you guys, and I saw the battle. Leave everything to me!" He said.

"I remember you. You held that sniveling wreck of a Zoroark off while these two escaped back in the north. You're Hoopa, and you like to warp. Well, allow me to put an end to it!" Formora growled, tossing a Shadow Ball at him. But Hoopa only warped to another part of the room.

Firnen dove at him with Dragon Claw, but Hoopa stopped him with a Psybeam. Too late; he didn't notice Formora appear behind him, knocking him away and grabbing his hoop.

She studied it carefully, holding it in her hands.

"No! Give that back!" Hoopa wailed, launching another Psybeam at Formora. She merely tanked the attack, and emotionlessly bent Hoopa's hoop with her bare hands.

She tossed the broken hoop back at him wordlessly, where he cradled it, looking heartbroken. Instead of a circle, the hoop was now shaped like an apple core.

He looked up at Formora, whose teammates had joined her, waiting for her orders. He bit his lip, then raced back to Ezra and Carys, creating a huge Light Screen that separated them from Team Renegade. The latter immediately began attacking the barrier, trying to break it.

"I was afraid I'd have to do this." Hoopa sighed, pulling out a small, ornate bottle that was shaped almost like him.

"What's that?" Asked Ezra, hoping it would help, whatever it was.

"I'm going to have to revert to my true form." He replied sadly, fondling the bottle.

"What's so bad about that?" Carys asked.

"My true form...is a monster. It makes me irrationally angry and destructive. I'll want to destroy everything—and everyone—here. But it's the only way I'll be able to stop those three. I'll get more hoops, too, so I can take you two to safety."

"What? No, we're getting out of here together!" Ezra protested.

"No! When I open this bottle, I won't care if you're an ally. I'll just want to hurt you...I'll be like that for three days. Once I defeat them, I'll warp to Destiny Ridge. Only Victini can keep me contained while I'm in a rampage. See this?" Hoopa pulled out an orange-and-cream bow.

"This is a Victory Bangle. It's Victini's special item, and its boosts her attack and special attack. I should be able to regain enough sanity when I hold this in order to take myself there." Hoopa explained, looking forlorn.

"Oh...well, I suppose it's for the best." Ezra sighed.

"Could I have a moment?" Formora called from the other side of the Light Screen. She floated up to the roof.

"I came here to do a job, and I intend to finish it." With that, she broke all of the pillars supporting the roof with multiple Shadow Balls.

The ceiling began rumbling, and rocks started falling down.

"What are you doing?!" Ezra screamed at her.

"We came here to collapse this place so the Champion of Light would be unable to learn of Arceus' location. I was too late, but it's not too late to kill you all." Formora replied coldly.

"Ah! We don't have much time! Ezra, Carys, tell Neal I won't be back for a few days, okay?" Hoopa asked as he uncorked the bottle.

A pink mist swirled from the bottle, and enveloped Hoopa, who glowed white. He then grew bigger, and bigger, and bigger, until he stood as tall as a Tyranitar. His color scheme was the same, and he now had legs, and multiple arms grasping multiple hoops. There was large hole in his chest, and he had a very long tail. His ponytail had grown to be three times the size of his head. When he looked at them, there was still a trace of the old Hoopa in them.

Ezra and Carys stared up at the giant Pokemon. _This_ was what he truly looked it? It was...terrifying.

"Here." Hoopa grunted, grabbing the two. Ezra barely had time to think before he gently took them through hyperspace.

Ezra had the sense that she was falling, and a great pain washed through her head. It grew unbearable enough to the point where all she saw was black.

Endless, eternal black.

Then she knew nothing.

**At least Hoopa has Victini to keep him from destroying everything. Formora has no such tether.**

**Victini doesn't really have a dungeon item, so I made one up for her.**

**This won't be the duo's last time visiting that island...**

**The next post will include: walking on clouds, acrophobia, and a Shard.**


	58. Chapter 58

Ezra woke with a pounding headache. It felt like fifty Machamps were pounding the inside of her skull. Dimly, she could hear voices, but they sounded far away. Eventually, the pain subsided, and she felt brave enough to open her eyes.

When she did, she was startled to see the Lofts residents staring worriedly at her and Carys, who had woken up and looked equally as startled.

"Oh, you're awake! Thank goodness." Rose breathed a sigh of relief.

"What...what happened...?" Ezra said. She was lying on her bed, but how did she get there? She tried to recall what had happened, and remembered with a twinge of sadness that Hoopa unbound himself to save them from Team Renegade, who had collapsed the dungeon. Where he or they were now, she didn't know.

"You tell us. Last night, Hoopa dropped you and Carys in the middle of the commons room. You were both unconscious, so we took you to your room. You've been out for half a day." Ivysaur explained.

"Half a _day?!_" Screeched the two. Looking outside, it was indeed noontime, whereas they had been fighting at around dinnertime.

"What happened? And where's Hoopa? Neal's worried sick about him." Asked a concerned Noibat.

Wearily, Ezra and Carys explained the events of yesterday. They told their friends about Team Renegade, and Hoopa's choice.

"Presumably he's with Victini now, but...I don't know. That dungeon was collapsing when we left; I'm not sure if anyone made it out of there." Ezra sighed.

"We'll go check." Macargo offered after a moment of silence. "There was a hidden ruin, you say? Well, that means Team Geo needs to examine it!"

"But..." Carys started, but Seadra shook his head.

"A couple rocks here and there isn't going to stop us. We've dug up hundreds of collapsed dungeons; it won't be a challenge." He said.

"And I'll send Ledian over to Destiny Ridge. Perhaps he can find out if Hoopa is there. You said he'd be gone for three days?" Asked Rose, standing up from her crouched position.

Ezra and Carys nodded.

"Well, alright then! It's settled." She beamed.

"By the way, did you two find out where Celestial Spire is?" Asked Chrysi.

"Yeah, it's right in the middle of the continent." Ezra nodded. Everyone looked at her funny.

"Ezra...the middle of the continent is where Luminous Springs is located..." Rose said, a strange look on her face.

"Really? ...Maybe the Spire overlooks it...?" Suggested Carys. To Ezra, she added, "Luminous Springs is where Pokemon go to evolve."

"It's certainly strange...Oh, I just remembered we need to get the list of Shard locations from Neal." Carys recalled.

"You two need to rest!" Admonished Milana.

"We feel fine. A little food and some time to stretch our legs and we'll be back to normal."Argued Ezra.

Unable to convince the two to rest a little longer, the residents unwillingly let them get up and walk to Neal's Sweet Treats.

It was quite sunny out, and the bright light had transformed Neal into his sunny form. He now had a yellow face, seven pink petals on his head, and a pink body. The Cherrim looked downcast, but his face lit up when he saw Ezra and Carys.

"Team Banshee! Please tell me you have word of Hoopa." He begged.

Ezra shook her head.

"He came to bail us out of a tough boss fight last night. He warped us here, but he had to uncork his bottle. Apparently, uncorking it gives him awesome strength, but turns him into a rampaging monster. He said he would go to Destiny Ridge after he was done with the fight, as Victini's the only one who can keep him contained. But...the dungeon was collapsing when we left; I don't know if he's still in there...Rose is going to send Ledian over to Victini; hopefully he's with her." Ezra explained sadly.

Neal drooped, but raised his head after a moment.

"Thank you for telling me. I eagerly await Ledian's return." He said.

"There's one more thing: Hoopa told us he had a list of where the rest of the Shards are located at. Do you know where that is?" Carys asked.

Neal made a face. "It's probably in his room, which is the messiest place I've ever seen. I can try to find it for you guys, but it'll take me a while to get through all of his things. He showed it to me yesterday, actually. I can't remember all of the names, but I remember there was a dungeon called 'Sky Paradise' on the list."

"That's a good start. Thanks, Neal." Ezra nodded. The duo bought a few pastries to be polite, and they returned to the Lofts, munching on the delicious food.

"How'd it go? I just sent Ledian off to Destiny Ridge." Rose added as she greeted the two.

"We told him about Hoopa. He's going to try and find the list, but he remembers one of the dungeons." Ezra informed her and the other residents, who were all in the commons room.

"What is it?"Asked Noibat.

"Sky Paradise, or something like that." Reported Carys.

"Oh, we've been there. It's over in the northeast quadrant of the continent. It's really cool! It's made entirely of clouds, and you can walk on them! When you get to the top, you can see for miles around!" Laughed Noibat.

"Well, we'll be going to Hidden Ruins. You said it's on the west side of the island, in a forest?" Asked Macargo. Team Banshee nodded.

"Very well. Goodbye, friends!" He said as he and his team moved out.

"That reminds me, where are Team Triple S? I haven't seen them all morning." Asked Ezra, looking around.

"Early this morning, they got a message from that village they were stuck in for so long. Apparently they need their help again, so they went off to fix whatever's wrong." Explained Ivysaur.

"I see. Team Valkyrie, would you like to get the Shard this time?" Offered Ezra. Chrysi only moaned and shook her head.

"I've seen that place. It's _tall!_ I don't like tall!" She wailed, putting her head on her hands.

"Chrys is deathly afraid of heights. We don't really explore many high places because of it." Trina explained wryly to Ezra and Carys.

"There's nothing to protect you if you fall! One wrong slip, and I'd be a Lilligant pancake! Nope, no thanks. You two can have it." Chrysi shook her head adamantly.

"Well...if you insist." Ezra shrugged uncomfortably.

* * *

**Sky Paradise ( watch?v=B5n-s2JKCq4)**

They could see the tower long before they came to the base of the dungeon. Noibat was right; the tower was made entirely of puffy white clouds that swirled down from the sky. The clouds didn't look as if they could be walked on, but a tentative experiment from Ezra proved that, impossibly, the clouds could indeed be traversed on.

Still not entirely believing what they were seeing, Team Banshee entered the dungeon.

**1F**

Ezra never in her wildest dreams thought she would actually get the chance to walk on clouds. And yet, here she was. The white clouds underneath her felt like she was walking on soft sponges, or marshmallows. The clouds sank underneath her weight, but never threatened to break. Every time she raised a foot off the ground, the clouds would spring back up, only to sink slowly back down when she took another step. The walls were also made of clouds, but were colored in the palest gray imaginable, with a few green vines growing on them.

There were, however, a few gaps around the edges of the room. Ezra peered down one, and could see the ground below. She gulped, suddenly seeing merit in Chrysi's fear. The higher they climbed, the more danger she was in if she fell.

"Oh, don't worry about the gaps. They'll just warp you elsewhere, like a Warp Trap." Reassured Carys. "Jumpluff from the bank told me that when you were off at the markets."

"Oh. Well, that's a relief. Still, I'd rather not test that theory." Ezra said warily, taking one last look at the gaps before joining Carys.

"Isn't this place amazing? I'd never heard of a dungeon like this before! We've traveled under the sea, through a volcano, and now up into the air!" Carys marveled, spinning around.

"It certainly is something special. Come on, let's go see what else there is in here." Ezra agreed.

**2F**

"Did you...notice anything different about Formora yesterday?" Ezra asked as they were wandering down a hall.

"Like how she's gone a bit crazy? Oh yeah, I noticed." Carys responded wryly.

"I think the whole show with the rock and her arm doesn't need explaining, but when we fought her before, she didn't care what her teammates called her." Ezra went on, thinking hard. If there was a change in Formora, what caused it? And why?

"But she snapped at Kialandi to call her 'My Lady'. He and Firnen looked surprised, like they weren't expecting. And when I was on Firnen, she hit us both with Blizzard, even though he's weak to the move. She said he was 'in the way'. Last time, they fought with perfect teamwork." She continued.

"You remember what Team Lunar Wind and Cresselia were saying about them? That their teamwork has been disrupted by Formora, who's starting to become reckless and addicted to causing pain? Yeah, I think they were right. I'll be only too glad when those three are finally defeated." Carys sighed.

They spent the rest of the floor in silence, troubled by the sudden—and quite dangerous—changed in Ezra's rival.

**3F**

The duo were busy fighting a Fletchinder and a Tranquil in a small chamber. The former's Ember only strengthened Ezra, and she used her buffed-up fire attacks to put an end to the Tranquil, who was giving Carys a hard time. One powered-up hit, and it was down, leaving only the Fletchinder.

Quickly, it used Growl, decreasing their attack damage. Only thing was, the two didn't have any physical moves. Ezra hit the foe with an Ember of her own, but it countered by using Roost, restoring its health. Undaunted, the duo launched a Razor-Burst combo that _just_ missed the dodging Fletchinder.

It dove at Ezra, Pecking her over and over again. She would have attempted to burn it with her flame, but fire-types simply could not get burned. Instead, she settled for a Hex at close-quarters. It flew back from the backlash of the attack. Carys followed up with Shadow Ball, and one more Hex finally defeated the stubborn foe.

**4F**

Ezra was loving her new Trap Scarf. Whenever she'd accidentally trigger a trap, nothing happened! It was the best! The only thing that could make it better was if there was an item that prevented all team members from falling asleep, but Ezra would take what she could get. She had considered swiping Kialandi's Vibra Scarf next time they encountered the evil team, but Carys had told her that the Scarf only worked for Vibravas. She still had to worry about falling asleep from an enemy attack, but hey, what could you do? Carys informed her that the Candle Cape, the exclusive item for Litwicks, merely boosted a fire-type attack on occasion.

As she was walking through a chamber, she stepped on a Warp Trap. Thanks to her fancy new scarf, she wasn't warped somewhere else.

"Hah! Sucker!" She gloated at the universe, raising her hand in victory.

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

"Ooh, a sore loser, I see." She snickered. Not even the universe's retort could put a damper on her mood.

**5F**

Carys, for some strange reason, decided it would be a good idea to wake a sleeping Pigeotto with Razor Leaf. Startled out of its sleep, it tried to hit her with Wing Attack, but missed and crashed against the wall, still sleepy.

Ezra, forced to fight, shot it with two Flame Bursts. One more Razor Leaf from Carys defeated it.

Ezra glared at Carys.

"What?" Carys asked. "I thought it would be funny."

Ezra just shook her head and continued on silently.

**6F**

**Weather Condition: Cloudy**

"Too many clouds! Stairs are a welcome change of scenery!" Carys howled, racing for the Stairs.

Indeed, the duo were surrounded by clouds on literally all sides. It was a bit much.

**7F**

"Hey, Ez! The Staravia's holding a Pure Seed!" Called Carys as Ezra defeated her foe with a Flame Burst.

Sure enough, the seed was dropped.

"Awesome. You want to eat it?" Ezra approved, offering the seed to Carys.

"Sure." Carys shrugged, then ate the seed.

A few moments later, Ezra felt herself being teleported to the next floor.

**8F**

When the feeling of being tugged elsewhere subsided, she found that they had spawned with an angry-looking Noctowl. The bird Pokemon used Foresight on Carys, rendering her vulnerable to normal-type attacks, as opposed to the near-invulnerability they already had.

Ezra attempted to hit it with Flame Burst, but the wily foe dodged out of the way. It fell victim to Carys' Confuse Ray, however, and then it was just a matter of two Flame Bursts and a Razor Leaf to defeat it.

**9F**

They came across an Altaria in the hall. Knowing that it might know Sing, Ezra let Carys take the lead, diving into the wall for a safe attack spot.

Sure enough, the Altaria used Sing, making Carys fall asleep. It then Pecked her repeatedly, assaulting the defenseless Carys.

Well, Ezra wasn't just about to let this atrocity continue. Yelling, she threw a Night Shade at it, sending it flying a short distance before it crashed into the opposite wall. Shaking the dust off of it, it saw that its attacker was safely in a wall. However, there was still a Pokemon who was vulnerable to its attacks.

With a screech, the Altaria resumed its brazen attack on Carys, Plucking and finally making Carys faint with one last Dragon Breath.

The good thing was that Carys was no longer asleep. Together, the duo attacked with a combination of Night Shade and Shadow Ball.

"Sorry I didn't avenge you sooner." Ezra panted, coming out of the wall.

"S'all good. As long as you did in the end." Carys returned, a hard grin on her face.

**10F**

"Hello Stairs! See anything new lately?" Carys asked the Stairs. It didn't answer, although they did in fact see something new: a Shiny Litwick and a Pumpkaboo.

**11F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

If only she could fight a fire-type in this dungeon. The boost from her Flash Fire, combined with the heat from the sun, would have turned her into an unstoppable fighting machine. Oh well, a buff was a buff.

They entered a chamber that held an apple in it. Ezra eagerly walked over to it, as she was starting to feel a bit dizzy from hunger. Just as she was a few meters away from it, a Swellow spawned in front of her. Naturally.

Both Pokemon were both startled to see the other, so they hesitated for just a second. The Swellow recovered first, and hit Ezra with a hard Wing Attack to the face. Angry now, Ezra fought back with a powered-up Flame Burst.

The Swellow then used Double Team, creating multiple copies of itself. Ezra scowled, trying in vain to find the right one. She hit one with Flame Burst, but it disappeared, meaning it wasn't the real one.

She found the real one when one of the copies dove at her with Aerial Ace, knocking her off her feet and causing her to land roughly on the ground. The real Swellow soared upwards, preparing to lose itself among its clones once more. Before it could do that, Ezra hit it with a Flame Burst, causing it and its clones to disappear in defeat.

She ate the apple proudly, like it was her reward for defeating it.

**12F**

In a hall, there was a Starly blocking their way. A Shedinja was in the wall adjacent to the enemy. From what Ezra had heard of Shedinjas, they could only be hit by super-effective moves. Well, luckily Carys knew Shadow Ball.

"Could you take care of that Shedinja for me?" She asked, wincing as she was hit by a combination of Quick Attack and Shadow Sneak.

"On it." Carys agreed as she dove into the wall to tangle with the ghost/bug-type.

Ezra turned back to the Starly just in time to be hit by an Aerial Ace. Grunting in pain, she retaliated with a Flame Burst that knocked the Starly into the wall. Following up, she used Flame Burst once more, defeating the foe at the same time Carys defeated the Shedinja.

**13F**

"Stairs the there's! ...Wait." Paused Carys, catching her mix-up.

**14F**

They came across a sky blue Gummi next to a sleeping Talonflame. Taking care not to wake it up, Ezra and Carys tiptoed over to the Sky Gummi, where Ezra silently ate it.

"Well?" Whispered Carys.

"Marshmallows. Maybe because they're white and fluffy, like clouds?" Reported Ezra.

It took all of Carys' willpower not to burst out laughing and accidentally wake the Talonflame.

**Sky Garden**

They arrived at an impressive scene. The clouds from the dungeon swirled out in 1/4 of a mile in all directions. Impossibly, there was a large garden growing in the center of the circle. Beautiflies and Butterfrees happily drank the nectar from the multicolored flowers, and bird Pokemon rested in the trees. It seemed like the ultimate paradise for anything that could fly.

And there, in the middle of the garden, lay a Shard. Ezra eagerly picked it up, and received visions of the sky and the land from above. Tucking it away, Team Banshee admired the scene for a few more minutes before they returned home.

* * *

**Lily Town**

"Ezra! Carys!" Milana shouted as they entered the Lofts. "Ledian's back!"

At this, the duo immediately raced upstairs, where Ledian was just about to tell the story. Neal was there too, listening attentively.

"I arrived at Destiny Ridge, and I was immediately attacked by a giant purple-and-pink monster! Then Victini knocks it away with V-Create, and she tells me that the brute was none other than Hoopa! He turned into his true form, and had come to seek her help in keeping him contained!...Of course, she said all that while battling him. Just watching them, you wouldn't believe that they were friends. Neither was holding back; it looked like they were fighting to the death! Can you believe it? Anyway, she also said to tell you all not to worry, Hoopa's okay and she'll keep him occupied until he turns back into his lovable self again." Ledian narrated.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Team Banshee had told them about Victini's strength. She was the legendary of victory; if anyone could stop a rampaging monster, it was her.

Secretly, Ezra was sure Victini was thoroughly enjoying herself. The tiny Pokemon had once explained that she loved battling with all her heart, but rarely encountered an opponent who matched her strength. She'd be having the time of her life right now.

Ledian left soon after, and dinner was a quiet affair. Neither Team Triple S, Team Siren, nor Team Geo had returned, so it was just Team Banshee, Team Valkyrie, and the employees.

Afterwards, Ezra and Carys settled down for a Pokemon trivia game Rose had discovered in one of the storage closets earlier that day. Chrysi and Milana came to join them, but Trina went to bed early, claiming a raging headache.

While they were playing, Ezra hoped that Neal would find Hoopa's list, or that Cresselia had some news for them. With Arceus about to lose Its last two Shards, they couldn't afford to waste time. Hopefully, _something_ good would happen tomorrow.

As a matter of fact, it did.

* * *

**Sky Tower has got to be one of my favorite soundtracks in the Mystery Dungeon series. **

**As I did with Victini, I made up an exclusive item for Litwicks, since such items weren't around in GtI. If in the new game exclusive items make a return, I'm sure you guys will understand the circumstances for the mistake.**

**The next post will contain: a shady marsh, a third explorer, and another Shard.**


	59. Chapter 59

Today, like every other day, Team Banshee spent their morning at the bank, markets, and storage. They'd first sell any items they didn't need at the markets, then buy all supplies they'd need for an exploration. They'd buy every apple, Oran Berry, throwing item, and seed in the store. If they had any money left over, they'd deposit in the bank. Normally, they journeyed with their held items, some Gravelrocks and Iron Spikes, three apples, four Oran Berries, two Blast Seeds, four Reviver Seeds, a Sleep seed, a Stun Seed, two X-Eye Seeds, and an Escape Orb, leaving four open spots. Then they'd put any excess items in Kangaskhan storage. It was honestly quite mundane at this point; not really something to go into excessive detail each day.

Once they were done, they turned back to the town square, admiring the scene. It was a beautiful day; there wasn't a cloud in sight, and the temperature was not too hot but not too cold.

Other Pokemon were busy enjoying the day as well. Neal was happily chatting with Sora and Wanda, and Ben was even well enough to go outside. He was sitting underneath a tree, watching the others come and go. Team Valkyrie were busy walking towards the markets. Chrysi and Milana looked joyful, but Trina looked absolutely miserable, coughing almost constantly.

Without warning, the Nidorina collapsed on the ground, causing her teammates to shriek. Upon hearing this, the other townsfolk turned, and gasped once they saw the cause of the scream. Sora, Neal, and Wanda, who were closest, raced over to the trio and picked Trina up to take her inside of the library. Team Banshee ran over as well to see what they could do.

Together, Sora and Wanda gently placed Trina on a pallet in a spare room on the second floor of Sora's library. In was in this room where Sora did his healing in, as he was the closest thing the town had to a doctor.

Neal gently placed his hand over Trina's forehead for second, then lifted it.

"It is quite hot. Team Valkyrie, how was she feeling this morning?" He asked.

"She said her headache from last night hadn't gone away, and that she felt lethargic. She developed a cough in the middle of the night, but we thought it was just allergies,since she was sniffling too." Chrysi reported. "We told her to rest, but she refused..."

"I see. I believe your Nidorina has been struck with influenza. She's young and healthy; she should make a full recovery." Sora diagnosed.

"Come to think of it, our client yesterday was coughing pretty bad..." Milana said, looking at Chrysi.

"That must be where she got it from. Sora, is there anything we can do?" Asked Chrysi.

"Let her stay here for a few days. It'll be a quiet place for her to rest. Also, there is one thing you can bring me. There exists a flower called heartsroot. Wanda, if you could fetch me the blue botany book?" Sora replied, the latter part to Wanda, who nodded and raced off.

A minute later, she returned, carrying a large blue tome. Sora took the book in his hands, and, using Psychic, flipped through the pages until he came to a small, yellow flower with heart-shaped roots.

"This is said flower. The roots contain medicinal properties, which would help your friend fight the infection. I do believe it grows at the end of a dungeon called 'Shady Marsh'...Is there a problem?" Sora asked Neal, who had jumped when he said 'Shady Marsh'.

"That name...! I remember it! It was one of the names on Hoopa's list!" Neal gasped.

"So there's a Shard at the end of the dungeon, as well as the flower?" Asked Ezra. Neal nodded.

"We'll go to the dungeon, so you two can keep Trina company." Ezra said, turning to Milana and Chrysi.

"I'm going too!" Chrysi said, standing up. "We've been to that dungeon before. It's _full _of dark-types. You'll need someone who's not weak to them. Plus, Trina's my teammate; I should do whatever I can to help her. It'll be quicker if three of us go."

She turned to Milana. "You'd have a type advantage if you went with us."

The Vespiquen shook her head. "I should stay here by Trina. When she wakes up, one of us should be there for her. You go." She declined.

"Alright." Chrysi nodded. To Ezra and Carys, she added, "I know where Shady Marsh is. Follow me!"

"Good luck!" Wanda shouted as the trio raced off towards the dungeon.

* * *

**Shady Marsh ( watch?v=Veq7Yl7-2PU)**

They arrived at the dungeon, panting and out of breath. They had ran all the way here, not stopping for anything. The sooner they got the flower, the sooner Trina would recover.

The dungeon was completely surrounded by trees, blocking all sunlight and giving Ezra the impression that it was actually nighttime. Below them, the ground squished underneath their feet, and small pools of water lay all around them. It truly was a shady marsh.

"Okay...we're here..." Chrysi panted, putting her hands on her knees.

"Let's go..." Ezra agreed, also gasping for breath.

**B1F**

The floor was made of a soft, squishy moss. It was a dusky green color, and the walls seemed to be made out of tree bark. When Ezra went to touch the brown wall, she found to her astonishment that it was indeed tree bark!

Visibility was just as low as it had been outside. Ezra made her flame rise higher, shedding more light on the desolate place. Her action caused a Poochyena to become more visible in the sparse light.

Immediately, Chrysi used Giga Drain on it. Ezra followed up with Flame Burst, and the Poochyena stood no chance.

"Not bad." Chrysi nodded. "You two are strong. This dungeon is 17 floors, so keep that strength up."

"Will do. Come on, the sooner we get to the end, the better." Ezra said, following Chrysi through a corridor.

**B2F**

"I think if you two hide yourselves in the walls when we're fighting in the hallways, that'd give us the best chance of success." Chrysi was saying as she led them into a chamber.

"That sounds like a good plan." Ezra agreed.

"Of course it is; I came up with it! Ooh, a Violent Seed." Chrysi squealed, racing over towards a seed in the far corner. How she spotted it in this dim light was a mystery.

"These are so much fun." She said with relish as she gave it to Carys, who tucked it away in the bag.

"I ate one once, during a boss fight." Ezra recalled. They had been fighting Team Renegade alongside Mesprit at Lake Caution. She had needed the extra power in order to help defeat them.

"You should always keep one with you, in case a little extra fire power—no pun intended—is needed. They turn you into a fighting machine, and it is _great_." Chrysi explained, laughing. She certainly seemed to enjoy the surge of anger that also came with eating the seed.

**B3F**

"I spy with my awesome eyes...the Stairs!" Exclaimed Chrysi, dancing over to them. Ezra and Carys looked at each other. Normally Carys was the one who said things like that.

**B4F**

**Weather Condition: Fog**

The weather turned foggy, weakening all electric-type moves. And _further_ decreasing the visibility. Luckily, there were no electric-types to be found.

"You sure seem...peppy." Ezra commented to Chrysi.

"Dungeon exploring makes me happy. Don't get me wrong, I'm still determined to get the medicine for Trina, but who says I can't enjoy the trip beforehand?" Chrysi explained.

"I...see." Was all Ezra said.

The continued along the chamber, when an unexpected Dark Pulse knocked Ezra off her feet. She landed roughly, and got back up just in time to see a Vullaby stalk through the shadows and into the light from Ezra's flame.

"Bad Vullaby! Bad!" Shouted Chrysi, sending a small seed at the foe.

The seed planted itself on the Vullaby's head, and grew vines that entangled it completely. The Vullaby squawked, struggling to free itself to no avail. The vines glowed red, draining its energy and sending it to Chrysi.

Ezra hit it with Flame Burst, and Carys soon followed up with Shadow Ball. A Giga Drain from Chrysi made sure the Vullaby was in no shape to fight anymore.

**B5F**

They had found a dingy white ribbon in a chamber. Chrysi and Carys completely ignored it, while Ezra picked it up.

"Hey, what's this thing?" She asked, racing to catch up with them.

"That old thing? It's a Plain Ribbon." Chrysi explained, stopping and turning around to face her.

"A Plain Ribbon? What does that do?" Ezra asked, looking down at the ribbon in her hands.

"Absolutely nothing." Chrysi and Carys chorused.

"Oh, like a Gold Ribbon?" Ezra grinned. Extra money would be nice.

"Sort of, except Plain Ribbons are completely worthless. You can only sell them for like, 10 Poke. You're better off just leaving it, Ez." Chrysi said.

"Oh." Ezra was disappointed. "Well, I'll hang on to it. Poke is Poke, after all." She put the mangled ribbon in the bag.

"Suit yourself." Chrysi shrugged.

**B6F**

As soon as they spawned, a Monster House appeared. Two Murkrows, a Mightyena, three Poochyenas, two Vullabys, a Mandibuzz, three Liepards, and two Umbreons fell from the ceiling.

"Woo-hoo!" Chrysi shouted, immediately ensnaring a Murkrow with Leech Seed.

Ezra and Carys had the distinct feeling Chrysi would be reluctant to leave the fight, so with a sigh, the duo jumped in the walls to help from a safe place.

"Mind if I eat the Violent Seed?" Chrysi called over the mayhem, defeating a Poochyena with Petal Dance.

"Be our guest!" Ezra called back, hitting the Mightyena with Flame Burst.

Chrysi ate the seed, and immediately she became more aggressive as her attack and special attack were maxed.

"Who wants some?! You want some?!" She shouted as multiple Pokemon piled on top of her. With a scream of guttural rage, Chrysi knocked all of them off of her with Petal Dance.

Ezra and Carys, meanwhile, just kept attacking every foe they saw. It felt like ages, but finally all of the foes were defeated. Chrysi was still bloodthirsty, and would remain that way for the rest of the floor, so Ezra and Carys kept her in between them as they traversed the rest of the floor. Luckily, they found the Stairs after only a couple chambers.

**B7F**

"There be Stairs!" Carys and Chrysi shouted at the same time.

**B8F**

They inadvertently woke up a sleeping Umbreon by spawning right next to it. Although it was still sleepy, it dodged Chrysi's Leech Seed and hit Carys with Assurance, knocking the Pumpkaboo back a few feet. Ezra landed a Flame Burst on it, and the Umbreon turned to Chrysi and sent out the two twirling balls of light that was Confuse Ray. Chrysi stood there and took the attack, unperturbed. Although the attack landed, she was not confused.

"Honey, I don't _get_ confused." She said mildly as she defeated it with Petal Dance. True to her word, she did not became confused when the attack ended.

"Own Tempo. Prevents me from getting dizzy." She explained, noticing Ezra's jaw had dropped open.

**B9F**

Much to their delight, the trio found a One-Shot Orb in a chamber. The orb was tactlessly covered in rainbows and glitter, but it was perfect for defeating a foe that wouldn't faint.

They had to use the orb much sooner than they had wanted. They had come across a Mandibuzz in a chamber, and the speedy thing was giving them all a hard time. It had sped itself up with Tailwind, and would hit Ezra and Carys with Dark Pulse, then swoop in to attack Chrysi with Air Slash. Needless to say, they were getting annoyed.

Chrysi broke the orb, where a black mist swirled out, then homed in on the Mandibuzz. Despite its best efforts, the foe could not escape the mist. Eventually, the mist caught up, and when it disappeared, the Mandibuzz had too.

**B10F**

**Weather Condition: Cloudy**

The clouds did not help with the visibility. The trio wandered blindly through the chamber until Ezra accidentally fell down the Stairs.

**B11F**

"Ooh. Black Gummi." Breathed Carys, somehow spotting the Gummi amidst the dim lighting. She ran over to the Gummi, and promptly ate it. A second later, she made a disgusted face.

"What'd it taste like?"Asked Ezra, coming over with Chrysi.

"Black licorice." Carys replied. Ezra and Chrysi winced in sympathy.

"Wait, I thought you liked all candy. _All_ candy." Ezra objected.

"I mean, I'll eat black licorice, but it's not my favorite." Carys shrugged.

"Come on, we're almost at the end." Chrysi said impatiently, beckoning them towards an exit.

**B12F**

There was a Liepard blocking their way in a corridor. Ezra and Carys dove into the walls on either side of Chrysi, giving them the best ratio of defenders to foe. The Liepard began with a Hone Claws, upping its attack and accuracy. It then dove at Chrysi with Night Slash, but the cunning ally created an impenetrable green dome around herself, Protecting herself from the attack. She then attempted to trap the Liepard with leech Seed, but the wily foe jumped out of the way. Ezra and Carys surprised it with a Flame-Leaf combo from the walls.

Taking advantage of the foe's astonishment, Chrysi ended the fight with Giga Drain.

The battle over, Ezra and Carys fell back in line behind Chrysi, and they continued onward.

**B13F**

Ezra found a pretty black ribbon lying on the ground. Rather, she tripped over it. Hearing her grunt as she hit the ground, Chrysi and Carys turned back.

"Hey...look at this cute little thing!" Ezra grinned, holding the ribbon up for them to see.

Chrysi's eyes went wide, and she knocked the ribbon out of her hand.

"Hey!" Ezra protested

"Sorry Ezra, but that was for your own good. Never touch that ribbon. Ever." The Lilligant apologized, staring at the ribbon as if it would come to life.

"Why? What's so bad about it?" Ezra asked, picking herself off from the ground.

"It's called a Diet Ribbon. If held by the leader, it makes your hunger drain exceptionally quick. If held by anyone else, your belly will revert to completely empty until you eat something. Horrible, worthless item. It's harmless if you carry it in a bag, but...no good ever comes out of a Diet Ribbon." Chrysi shuddered.

Ezra and Carys stared at the ribbon. They'd never thought it could do such a twisted thing.

Wisely, they left it alone, and continued along.

**B14F**

**Weather Condition: Cloudy**

There was a Purrloin and a Vullaby in the halls, which were obscured by the clouds above. As they did before, Ezra and Carys fanned out to surround Chrysi in the walls. The Vullaby used Tailwind, but there was only so much both of the foes could do while trapped in a hall.

The Purrloin dodged Chrysi's Giga Drain, but was knocked into its ally by Ezra's Flame Burst. Her attack wasn't as strong as it should have been, thanks to the weather above.

The Purrloin got up, and hit Chrysi with Slash, as she was the only one it could actually hit. She blanched under the attack, but did not falter. She retaliated with Giga Drain followed up by Petal Dance, and that was enough to defeat it, leaving only the Vullaby. It stepped up, eager to fight, but was immediately cut down by a combination of Flame Burst, Shadow Ball, and Petal Dance.

The odds were never in its favor.

**B15F**

This time, the joke involved Chrysi and Carys steering Ezra toward the Stairs.

**B16F**

They spawned in with a Murkrow and Mightyena. Chrysi managed to snare the Murkrow with leech Seed, but the other foe was proving more difficult to defeat. It laid down an Embargo on the trio, preventing their bag from being opened.

Ezra attempted to hit it with Ember, but the foe tanked the attack and cruelly Crunched her, making her wail with pain. Carys knocked it off of her with Razor Leaf, but the Mightyena turned on her and hit her with its Assurance, sending Carys flying.

Meanwhile, the Murkrow had used Wing Attack to free itself from the vines, and was diving at Chrysi's face with Foul Play. The Lilligant barely managed to throw up her Protect. She retaliated by using Petal Dance not on the Murkrow, but on the Mightyena, who was still beating Team Banshee into a pulp.

It yelped, and turned to face her. Seizing her chance, Ezra defeated it with a point-blank Flame Burst.

The more-threatening foe down, they turned back to the Murkrow, who had just finished using Feint Attack on Chrysi.

A Flame-Leaf-Drain combo and it was thoroughly unconscious.

**B17F**

"Okay...last floor. Don't worry Trina, we're almost done." Chrysi said, uncharacteristically serious. Perhaps her sunny demeanor was only a mask for her true feelings.

"We'll be done soon." Carys comforted the Lilligant.

The next chamber they arrived in held a Pink Gummi. Recalling that it tasted like spoiled milk, Ezra was going to leave it alone, but Chrysi picked it up.

"This is Trina's favorite kind of Gummi. She'd be thrilled if I brought her one." She explained, turning the Gummi over in her hands.

"I know I'd feel a lot better if someone brought me candy while I was sick." Carys agreed.

In the end, they took the Pink Gummi with them.

**Shady Swamp**

The end of the dungeon held a giant pond, with a few scraggly trees growing on the water's edge. On one side of the lake, leaning against a tree, was the Shard. The heartsroot flowers were on the other side.

"We'll grab the Shard if you'll grab the heartsroot." Carys said to Chrysi, who nodded.

Ezra and Carys ran over to the Shard. When Ezra picked it up, visions of nighttime and shadows flitted through her mind. They had found the dark Shard. They met Chrysi where they had split up. She was holding an armful of the yellow flowers, roots and all, clumps of dirt falling to the ground.

"Let's go back to Trina." She said grimly.

* * *

**Lily Town**

"Ah, perfect. My thanks." Sora bowed as Chrysi handed him the flowers. He went off to another room to prepare the medicine, and the trio entered Trina's room.

The Nidorina was awake, and happy to see them.

"You're back!" She grinned, her voice raspy.

"You thought we'd just abandon you?" Snorted Chrysi, coming over to stand by her friend.

"Never." Trina smiled, then turned to Ezra and Carys. "Thank you for going with Chrys. You didn't have to."

"Anything for a friend." Carys nodded.

Sora returned, with a bowl of white powder in his hand.

"It is bitter." He warned as Trina ingested the medicine. She made a horrible face, as if she'd eaten ten lemons, but she didn't complain.

"We brought you something else." Ezra added as she pulled out the Pink Gummi. Trina's eyes went wide.

"My favorite!" She started to exclaim, but a fierce bought of coughing interrupted her. When it subsided, she happily ate the Gummi.

"Ah...thank you. I feel better already." She said, lying back in her bed.

"She should rest now." Wanda cut in apologetically.

"Alright. We'll be back first thing tomorrow, Tri." Milana nodded.

"Bye bye." Trina said softly as the four departed back for the Lofts.

* * *

**The morning routine is implied in each post, so that's why I don't often include it. I also didn't count the Trap Scarf and Stamina Band in the list of what the duo take with them, as the items are worn, not carried around in the bag.**

**The next post shall include: the next Shard, apocalyptic news, and rock puns. Lots and lots of rock puns.**


	60. Chapter 60

The next morning, Team Banshee visited Trina after they had done their morning chores. The Nidorina was still feeling quite ill, but claimed to be feeling a bit better. Then, Milana and Chrysi entered the library, so Team Banshee bid her adieu, letting her have some time alone with her teammates.

Neal came running up to them as they exited the building. He was holding a dirty scrap of paper in his hand.

"Ezra! Carys! I found it!" He exclaimed, coming to a halt in front of them.

"Hoopa's list?!" Gasped Ezra.

Neal nodded. "It was half-submerged in a cup of grape juice—how it got I there I'll never know—on his nightstand." He warned as he handed the sticky list to Ezra, who held it gingerly.

On the list were six names scrawled in an almost-unintelligible script: Abysmal Abyss, Enchanting Prairie, Sky Paradise, Shady Marsh, Magnetic Quarry, and Gravelly Pit. Next to Abysmal Abyss and Enchanting Prairie were the letters 'TS'.

"Abysmal Abyss...that was one of the dungeons Team Siren were going to explore. ...and there's a 'TS' beside its name. 'TS' for 'Team Siren', maybe?" Speculated Ezra.

"In that case, the last place we need to go is Gravelly Pit." Replied Carys.

"Sounds good. Let's leave soon. Neal, thank you for all your help." Ezra thanked the Cherrim profusely.

"S'all good. I'm just glad this will all be over soon. Hoopa should be coming back tomorrow. This is day three of his transformation." Neal said.

"Oh, that's right! Awesome." Ezra said, smiling.

"Indeed. Well, you two should get going. The sooner that Shard is in the right hands, the better. I need to get back to work as well." Said Neal.

"Right. Goodbye, Neal. Thanks again." Ezra nodded.

An hour later, the duo set off for the Gravelly Pit.

* * *

**Gravelly Pit ( watch?v=k0TPNbMWzr8)**

The dungeon was located deep in the mountain range that almost severed the continent vertically in half. The entrance was nothing more than a hole, similar to the one at the Hidden Ruins. It was dangerous to get close, as the ground was loose and prone to sinking if anything weighing more than ten pounds stood on it. Ezra only weighed about seven pounds, but still, it was unwise to get cocky in such a sinkhole-prone area.

"Here we are. Shall we do what we do best?" Asked Carys, peering over the edge of the hole. The hole was pitch-black, preventing the duo from getting any inkling as to what was down there.

"We shall. Let's go!" Ezra shouted as she jumped in. A moment later, Carys did too.

**B1F**

The dungeon walls were a bluish-gray color, while the floor was made of gray granite, with darker flecks of rock here and there. The visibility was low, but not as low as it had been in Shady Marsh. At least they could actually see the rest of the medium-sized chamber.

"Huh, this place doesn't look too bad." Commented Ezra, looking around.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that this place is full of rock-types. I should lead." Suggested Carys.

"Good idea. Let's not take this place _for granite_." Joked Ezra.

"Oh no..." Groaned Carys, instantly realizing what this entire trip would be like.

"Sorry, sorry. I have my _faults_." Grinned Ezra.

"_Shut up_."

**B2F**

"I might not like rock puns, but I do like Stairs!" Laughed Carys, nuzzling them.

**B3F**

They found a Larvitar distantly wandering in a hall. Since it would eventually run into them, they decided to go ahead and take care of it.

Carys caught its attention with Razor Leaf, and it looked up just in time to be defeated with another one.

"That wasn't _gneiss_. It was probably having a very _gneiss_ day before you attacked it." Chastised Ezra.

"Would you _stop_ with the rock puns?" Glowered Carys.

"Never!" Laughed Ezra, who had to dive into the wall in order to escape Carys' Shadow Ball.

**B4F**

Much to their amusement, they found a Key lying in a corner of a chamber. Of course, being ghost-types, they had no need of a Key, but they pocketed it away, just in case another exploration team might want it. If not, they could always sell it. Keys were always wanted, they had heard. Silly non-ghost-types.

**B5F**

A Rampardos had spawned with them, but so had the Stairs. The Stairs were right in between them, so Ezra and Carys made a mad dash to them before the Rampardos could Headbutt them into next week. The Rampardos was faster, and it lowered its head to ram them, but with a wild cry, they leaped high over its head, and landed straight onto the Stairs.

**B6F**

In a hall, there was a Roggenrola that wanted to fight them. Ezra vanished into the wall beside Carys. Chrysi had come up with a good strategy for when they faced a type-disadvantage in a hall yesterday.

Carys shot it with Razor Leaf, and the little blue and yellow thing took it without complaint. It would have been a one-hit KO, if not for the foe's Sturdy.

It retaliated with Rock Slide, pummeling Carys with rock after rock, but she wasn't fazed much by the attack. Ezra surprised it with a regular attack, and just like that, the foe was down.

"It seemed like a pretty _down to earth_ kinda foe." Ezra commented as she reappeared in the hall.

Carys groaned.

**B7F**

In a chamber, a Golem came to tangle with them. It alerted them to its presence by using Earthquake making Ezra bounce on the ground painfully and repeatedly.

"_Schist_!" She muttered as the rumbling stopped and she could finally get back to her feet again.

"Ezra!" Carys exclaimed, horrified, turning to face her.

"What? I said 'schist'." Ezra shrugged as she sent a Night Shade at the Golem in return for its attack.

Carys only stared at her for a long second, then sighed and defeated the Golem with Razor Leaf.

**B8F**

"Staaiiiiirrrrrssss!" Breathed Carys, racing towards them. Ezra, meanwhile, was gazing at the terrain in mock wonder.

"Geology, man. I really _dig it_." She snickered.

She could hear Carys' groan from the next floor.

**B9F**

They had the unfortunate chance to fight an Onix in a hall. The thing towered over them, making them feel tiny and insignificant. How would they ever defeat this monstrous thing?

It Gyro Balled into them, knocking them a foot into the wall. Dazedly, the two climbed out of the holes they made, barely managing to launch a simultaneous Hex and Razor Leaf. The Onix tanked the attacks, and followed up with Dig, burrowing deep into the ground.

"Nopenopenopenope!"The duo shouted, diving into the walls just as the Onix launched itself from the spot they had been standing on.

While its back was turned, they hit it with Hex and Confuse Ray. Now that they had a chance, Carys used Trick-or-Treat, then Ezra finished it with Night Shade.

Once the foe was defeated, they each ate an Oran Berry, and moved on.

**B10F**

Whilst wandering along a chamber, the duo found the entrance to the Secret Bazaar. They looked at each other, shrugging. It was a free trip to the next floor, at least.

They entered the Bazaar, and looked around to be polite, but ultimately they departed for the next floor as soon as they could.

**B11F**

Carys was busy fighting a Boldore in a hall. It was weak; one more hit ought to do the trick. Ezra took out a Gravelrock, and threw it at the Boldore. Strange, it didn't feel as heavy as Gravelrocks usually did. Even more strange, the Boldore managed to catch it, and didn't throw it back.

"Oh! That was a Gravel**y**rock! Another lookalike item!" Carys called as she defeated the foe with a regular attack. The Gravelyrock clattered harmlessly to the floor.

"A...Gravelyrock?" Asked Ezra, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yeah. It's actually a food item for Bonsly and Sudowoodo. It sort of acts like a Gummi for them." Explained Carys.

"Aww, why couldn't we have gotten a Gone Pebble instead? I'm feeling rather _sedimental_ today." Grinned Ezra, who then dodged Carys' Shadow Ball.

They left the Gravelyrock where the Boldore had dropped it, as it was useless to them.

**B12F**

There was a Cranidos in their spawn chamber. They had to fix that. It dove at Ezra with Zen Headbutt, but she jumped out of the way and hit it with Hex. Carys attempted to launch a Razor Leaf at it, but it dodged out of the way and hit her with Assurance.

It then turned to Ezra, glowering at her with a Scary Face. She felt fear seize her. She couldn't dodge as quickly now, but nevertheless she launched a Night Shade at it. It was knocked off its feet, but quickly got up and hit her with its Ancientpower, sending her flying.

Meanwhile, Carys had hit it with her Razor Leaf, and received another Assurance for her action. She endured the attack, and ended the foe with a critical hit from Razor Leaf.

**B13F**

Maybe they should have kept the Gravelyrock, because they encountered a Sudowoodo while traveling through a hall. It dashed at Carys and hit her with Sucker Punch, making her hiss sharply in pain. Ezra immediately dove into the wall next to her and launched off a Hex, but the foe jumped out of the way.

Carys recovered from the brutal attack and hit it with Shadow Ball. Immediately, it glowed white, then threw a Shadow Ball right back at her!

Not expecting it to know Mimic, Carys took the attack, flying back a few feet from the assault. Meanwhile, Ezra had successfully hurt the Sudowoodo with Night Shade, making it wince. Knowing that it couldn't hurt her, it instead turned back to Carys, and began to dash at her with Sucker Punch once more.

But Carys was ready. Bracing herself for the blow, she tanked the devastating punch and shot off a Razor Leaf a second later. The Sudowoodo, not expecting her to still be conscious, had no choice but to take the attack.

"What's the matter? Have you hit _rock bottom_?" Shouted Ezra as she defeated it with Hex.

"I would Shadow Ball you, but you saved me from fainting. So, I won't do anything and we'll call it even." Grumbled Carys, deciding she would restore her health by walking the pain off.

**B14F**

Shortly before they had found the Stairs on the previous floor, Ezra had been feeling inexplicably tired. The feeling persisted on this floor as well.

"Sriats!" Yawned Carys. Wait...yawned?

"Hey, are you feeling tired for no reason?" Asked Ezra.

"Yeah, ever since we found the Stairs on the last floor." Affirmed Carys, blinking sleepily.

"...Didn't Cresselia say that when she needed to speak with us, the Lunar Wing will make us feel tired for no reason?" Ezra recalled, taking out the Lunar Wing from their bag. They never left without it, in case Cresselia needed to speak to them.

"She did! She must have some information! You fall asleep; I'm a grass-type, so I can guard you better." Exclaimed Carys.

Feeling adrenaline course through her, Ezra eagerly took out a Sleep Seed from their bag, and ate it. Instantly, she fell asleep.

When she woke up, she was in the middle of a room. Upon closer inspection, she appeared to be at the end of a dungeon set deep into a cave. Black rock walls greeted her in all directions. Although there was no source of light anywhere in the room, it was as bright as if the sun were shining straight down into the cave.

"There you are!" A familiar voice exclaimed. Ezra turned to see Cresselia standing behind her.

The Pokemon had seen better days. There were bruises and scratches all over her, and there was a large gash along her side. It looked recent too, only a few days old. But what struck Ezra the most as strange was how flustered Cresselia looked. Normally she appeared calm and collected no matter what but now she looked as if she were on the verge of panic. Something must be terribly wrong.

"What's wrong?" Ezra asked concernedly. "How did you get that gash?"

"I fought Team Renegade almost a week ago...I barely escaped." Cresselia explained distractedly.

"That's not important right now. Right now, everything's going to hell! The Dark caught one of my best operatives, and they killed him this morning. Drowned, he did. Anyway, another one of my best operatives has informed me that the worst has happened." Cresselia went on. She was shaking uncontrollably, and Ezra had the distinct feeling that her nerves were completely shot.

"What?" She prompted.

"Arceus...has lost Its last two Shards." Cresselia whispered, then broke out into a deep sob. With that statement, Ezra felt as if she were falling, falling, deep into an infinite abyss. She felt as if she were far away...

"What?" She choked out the word.

"Ka—My operative told me. I trust her with my life; she'd never tell me unless she was absolutely sure...But..." At this, Cresselia composed herself, looking more like her familiar self.

"But, she also told me that Giratina is keeping It alive as long as possible, to make It suffer. He's having his forces heal Arceus as much as they can. But even so, It cannot live long without Its Shards. Even with constant healing moves used on It, I'd say It only has...a week, a week and a half at best to live. Ezra, you and Carys _must_ hurry. K—My operative tells me she might know where the Time Shield and Air Blade—Dialga and Palkia's respective items—might be. She'll tell me soon."

"But what do I do then? We don't know where anything is! We know where Celestial Spire is, but not where the Space Globe is!" Ezra cried, feeling hopeless.

"Ah, but I do know where the last two Shards are."Cresselia said, smiling faintly. "I am told they have been moved to a dungeon called 'Charged Cavern'. It's just a few hours away from Magnetic Quarry, actually."

"We'll go there tomorrow." Nodded Ezra.

"I should know where the Creation items are in a day or two. I will see you then. Good luck, and be safe. We'd be lost without you." Cresselia said as the dream faded.

Ezra woke to find Carys standing above her.

"You were out for ages! The Wind's starting to pick up!" She shouted. Indeed, Ezra could feel the malevolent presence approaching.

"It can wait. I have to tell you something. _Now_." Ezra said.

Quickly, she told Carys what Cresselia had told her. The blood drained from the Pumpkaboo's face when she was done.

"So...It's going to die in a week?" Carys whispered, ignoring the force of The Wind that threatened to sweep her away.

"A week and a half, if we're lucky. Even so, we need to finish up the ultimate quest. We're going to a dungeon called Charged Cavern tomorrow. That's where the last two Shards are. Now come on, let's get out of here!" Ezra said impatiently, diving down the Stairs as The Wind approached.

**B15F**

Turns out there was a reason Keys were in this dungeon. There was a sealed chamber.

Ezra laughed hollowly as she phased through the door. Inside was a small pouch that appeared to be made of leaves. There was a green powder inside the pouch. She picked it up, and phased through the door again, holding the pouch out to Carys.

"What's this thing?" She inquired dully.

"Grass Dust. It's pretty rare." Carys said, inspecting the pouch.

"Oh. Would you like it?" Asked Ezra, offering the bag to her friend.

"No. Grass Dust only increases your defense and special defense. I'd prefer my Stamina Band, thank you. Maybe one of our grass-type friends would like it." Carys declined, shaking her head.

Ezra shrugged. "Suit yourself."

**Gravelly Chasm**

The dungeon, it turned out, led to an old abandoned mineshaft. There were rusty metal tracks leading into multiple tunnels, and Ezra saw the pitiful remains of a mine cart that that been crushed by falling gravel. The mine must have been abandoned due to frequent cave-ins.

There was another mine cart that had been better preserved by time. Something was glimmering inside it. The duo went over to look, and grinned when they saw that the Shard was the cause of the glow.

Ezra picked it up, and was granted visions of mountains and canyons. This was the rock Shard. She put it in their bag just as a bit of gravel fell on her head, making her flame sizzle in distaste.

She looked up, only to receive more gravel to the face. More started falling, and the cave began shuddering.

"Cave-in!" Screamed Carys, pulling out an Escape Orb as larger and larger chunks of rock began falling from the ceiling.

She broke the orb, and they were beamed out of the dungeon, narrowly escaping being crushed as the mineshaft was completely destroyed.

They found themselves back at the entrance to the dungeon. They breathed heavily, letting their hearts slow down back to normal. They had brushed with death, and survived. They weren't eager on doing it again so soon.

"...Well..." Was all Ezra said.

After a few moments, they regained their tongues.

"We need to go back home. The others _have_ to hear Cresselia's message." Said Carys, looking worriedly at Ezra.

Ezra bit her lip, and nodded. They thought they had more time. Well, now they had to kick their quest into overdrive.

* * *

**Lily Town**

As soon as they got home, they made everyone come to town square. They didn't even acknowledge Team Geo, who had returned from their excavation of Hidden Ruins.

"Everyone!" Ezra yelled once she had assembled the entire town. "We have something you all need to hear!"

"What is it?" The green Kecleon asked concernedly.

Ezra paused, preparing herself to say the unthinkable. She was interrupted by a musical voice.

"What's going on?" Meloetta asked, her team approaching the crowd. They looked exhausted, but triumphant. Ezra couldn't focus on the fact that Team Siren had returned; she had to get Cresselia's message out.

"The Original One...It...It lost all of Its Shards..." She ended in a whisper, barely audible.

The town heard her, though. A stunned, horrified silence swept through the entire crowd. Meloetta's jaw dropped open in horror.

"How...how do you know?" Piped Jumpluff after a long moment.

"Cresselia told us while we were off getting what we thought was the last Shard. She said that It will be kept barely alive for as long as possible...She said we have maybe a week, a week and a half at most." Ezra said, tears coming to her eye. How could they ever save Arceus at this rate? They weren't ready!

The town burst into clamor, then panic.

_All we can do is hope..._ Cresselia's words from their first meeting rang through her head. Ezra paused.

They had to try, at least. They couldn't give up, not now; not when Arceus needed them the most. There were hundreds of stories of heroes defeating the villain despite impossible odds. Maybe they were just stories, but maybe she could make hers a reality.

"Wait!" She shouted over the turmoil, catching everyone's attention again. "We can't just give up, not when we're close to finishing this for good! The Original One may be dying, but It's still being kept alive, right? So that means there's still a chance! Carys and I just need a few more things, and then we'll be ready to settle this! A week, huh? That's nothing! We have Team Siren, who can find the impossible; Team Geo, who know where almost every dungeon in the continent is; Team Triple S, wherever they are, who are excellent treasure hunters; Team Valkyrie, who never give up; and every other exploration team who has ever come here! Most of all, you have me: the Champion of Light. I was chosen for a reason, and I fully intend to live up to the Original One's expectation."

She grew serious, having enraptured her audience. "Carys and I need three items: the Air Blade, the Time Shield, and the Space Globe. Once we have those three, we can rescue Dialga and Palkia from their madness, and finally win this war! If everyone can ask around, I'm sure we'll be able to find the items! Plus, Carys and I know where the last two Shards are! Tomorrow, we're going out to retrieve them. Team Siren's return means that they have Shards as well. We'll have all 18! And once it's all over and everyone is safe again, Lily Town will be known as the town who saved the world! Pokemon will flock over here, wanting to meet the townsfolk who played a part in ending the Dark's reign."

She knew the last part about increased business would appeal to the entrepreneurs of the town. Indeed, their ears perked up when they heard that last bit.

"So, what do you say? Are we going to save the world?" She shouted.

"YEAH!" Everyone cheered.

"Then let's do it! Tomorrow, the Shards. After that, the world!" Ezra yelled.

As the audience picked her up and carried her aloft, she became lost in her own thoughts. Her speech was grand and all, but secretly she wasn't sure if she _could_ save the world in a week. And a half, at best. But she couldn't let the town go into a panic. That'd be doing the Dark's work for them. She didn't know if she'd be able to complete her quest, but she had to try.

All she could do was hope.

* * *

**The speech was a bit cheesy, I know. But things are getting real here. The next post is the chapter finale, then the countdown until the ending shall truly begin.**

**The chapter finale will include: the return of two friends, a shocking dungeon, and a trap.**


	61. Chapter 61

The next morning, just before they were about to depart for Charged Cavern, Hoopa returned, along with Victini, who was wearing her Victory Bangle. Both of them looked exhausted and weary, but the spark in their eyes meant that they still had plenty of strength left.

The town cheered as the two walked through town. Neal came out of his shop, and ran to embrace Hoopa tightly. The tiny purple legendary returned the gesture. They hugged for a solid minute before disengaging. By this time, the entire town had assembled.

"Hoopa!"

"Good to see you, man!"

"Who's the orange Pokemon with you?" The town said all at once.

Hoopa held up a hand, and the town fell silent.

"I'm sure you all heard about me turning into my true form, and the dangers of doing so. When I was in the Hidden Ruin, Team Renegade collapsed the dungeon. They used an Escape Orb just before I could defeat them. I escaped by using my hoop, and I regained enough sanity to warp myself to Destiny Ridge, the home of my best friend, Victini. She's the only one who could keep me contained long enough until I turned back into my confined form, and so she did! We had an amazing fight! We didn't rest once, not for three days! It was awesome! Anyway, after the three days, I turned back into this form. ...Unfortunately, we kinda wrecked her home, so she came here to stay with us until her home is fixed again. Everyone, this is Victini. Victini, this is Lily Town." He introduced.

Victini was peppered with questions, and to her credit, she did her best to answer them all, even if she was a bit curt.

After a few minutes of this, the town dispersed, finally giving them some space.

"Hoopa!" Ezra called, she and Carys running to greet him and Victini.

"Ezra! Carys!" He beamed, spotting them. "I got my hoop repaired!" He held up his hoop, which had been restored to its normal circular shape as opposed to the apple core-shape that Formora had turned it in to.

"Greetings, friends." Victini nodded formally.

"Did you hear?" Ezra asked curtly, forgoing all pleasantries. No time for those, not after the events of yesterday.

"About...?" Demanded Victini, glaring.

"The Original One. It...has no more Shards." Carys said, dropping her voice down to a whisper. Hoopa put a hand to his mouth in shock. Victini stood there, jaw agape. Quickly, the duo explained what had happened yesterday.

"But we know where the last two are. We're going to get them right now! For better or worse, this'll be over in a week and a half." Ezra finished.

Instantly, Victini reverted back to her normal, militant self. She was a natural leader who thrived under pressure.

"Then go now! You've no need of us here. We'll ask around, see if we can help. ...What are you two still doing here? _GO!_" She shouted.

With that, Team Banshee had no choice but to run to their destination.

* * *

**Charged Cavern ( watch?v=7qWfkCtA2pU)**

Team Geo had pointed out the location of Charged Cavern on their map the previous night. Cresselia was correct, it was indeed a few miles away from Magnetic Quarry. They ran as fast as they could. The sooner they found the last two Shards, the sooner they could win this war.

Eventually, they found the dungeon. They stood before the entrance, gazing up at it. It lay inside a mountain, with blue crystals growing around the entrance.

"Here we are. Ready to get the last two Shards?" Ezra asked, looking at Carys.

"Always." Carys nodded back, and together, they entered.

**B1F**

They found themselves in a blue room. The floors were an electric-blue stone with small teal rocks here and there, and the walls were a deep navy with iridescent crystals growing all over them. The walls also seemed to pulse and hum, although that might have just been Ezra's imagination. She could have sworn she saw white streaks race across the walls, but she blinked, and they disappeared. She tried to put the trippy walls out of her head. No use going crazy when the world needed her most.

A Jolteon entered the room, and snarled when it spotted them. It bounded over, its hackles rising menacingly. It dashed forward swiftly and struck Ezra, knocking her off her feet. By some miracle, she landed on her feet. She wobbled for a second, but regained her balance.

She smirked. She wasn't afraid of Quick Attack.

She sent a volley of Flame Burst at the Jolteon, and it retaliated by hitting her with Thunder. The blast sent her flying until she hit the wall. Strangely, the wall _shocked _her. She wailed as she was once again electrocuted, and she fell to the ground in a dazed heap. She could hear the sounds of battle, but it took a few minutes until her brain unscrambled itself enough to return her to reality.

Ezra pulled herself up into the Litwick version of push-up position and shook her head. She looked up to see Carys dodge a Thunder Fang, then defeat the Jolteon with Shadow Ball. Carys floated over to her, panting heavily.

Ezra stood up, wincing as she did so. The Thunder, combined with the jolt from the wall, had seriously hurt.

"You okay?" Wheezed Carys.

"Yeah." Ezra nodded, breathing heavily. She turned back to the wall, where she clearly saw streaks of white pulse across the stone this time. "I think the walls here are electrified."

"You sure?" Asked Carys.

In response, Ezra picked up a pebble, and tossed it at the wall. When the pebble made contact with it, there was a sharp hiss as electricity zapped the stone.

"Oh. Wow. Let's not touch the walls." Carys whistled.

**B2F**

They found a Trawl Orb lying in the middle of their spawn chamber. While they didn't really have much of a use to use it, they took it with them, just in case they ran into a Monster House or something. If that happened, then they could use the orb to get those sweet, sweet Gummis once they were in a safe place without the hassle of fighting for them.

**B3F**

"Stores! ...Wait, I mean Stairs!" Amended Carys.

**B4F**

A Luxio and Pikachu had come to block their way in a corridor. The Luxio was in front, and had been Crunching Ezra over and over again. She managed to hit it with Hex, but it retaliated with Thunder Fang, paralyzing her.

"Ugh! This is annoying!" She grumbled, trying desperately to move her limbs. No such luck;she was completely immobile.

"On it." Carys said from behind her. From the corner of her eye, Ezra noticed her friend in the wall. The _electric_ wall.

"Isn't it shocking you?" Ezra asked, wincing as she was hit with a Bite.

"Not really. I just feel jittery." Reported Carys as she stopped the Luxio with Confuse Ray followed up by Razor Leaf.

The Pikachu stepped up for a go at them just as the paralysis left Ezra.

Basking in her freedom, she immediately nailed the foe with a Night Shade. The Pikachu grunted but otherwise didn't seem too hurt. It retaliated with Slam, but luckily it didn't hurt Ezra too bad. Carys defeated it with Shadow Ball.

"Good to know we won't get hurt if we go into the walls." Ezra said optimistically as Carys returned back to the dungeon proper.

"We just have to be dematerialized in order to do so." Agreed Carys as they got going.

**B5F**

It was funny when Ezra triggered a Sleep Trap, as she was immune to traps, thanks to her Trap Scarf. As the mist coalesced around her, she laughed as it dissipated, leaving her fully awake. Cresselia did not need to talk to them right now, so there was no reason for her to take it off.

"Nice try, but no." She snickered.

**B6F**

Ezra had just picked up some Poke when a shout from Carys across the room made her turn. A Raichu was attempting to hit her with Thundershock, but the nimble Pumpkaboo weaved out of the way and returned the favor with Trick-or-Treat. The Raichu was so focused on Carys, it didn't hear Ezra as she raced across the room to help her teammate.

It turned around to wag its tail endearingly, its head turned to look at Carys. The Tail Whip was so cute, it lowered Ezra's guard as well as Carys'. Still, the Raichu didn't notice her as it turned back around, leaving its back exposed to Ezra, who startled the wits out of it with Flame Burst. It whipped around to see this new threat, and was hit with Carys's Shadow Ball. Angered, it turned around long enough to hit Carys with Thunderbolt, then faced Ezra once more.

It dashed at her with a Quick Attack, which Ezra did not mind being hit by. It wasn't a threat to her, honestly.

"Is that all you got?" She asked as she defeated it with Ember.

**B7F**

Carys declared her care for the Stairs.

**B8F**

While nonchalantly walking through a chamber, Ezra accidentally stepped on a Pitfall Trap. But, since she had a Trap Scarf, the trap was not triggered.

The trap consisted of nothing but a very weak grate that would snap as soon as anything was placed on it, no matter how small. Now Ezra stood directly on top of the grate, peering through the holes down at the floor below. Although it was quite bright in the dungeon, she was unable to see anything on the previous floor.

"Hand me your Trap Scarf. This is a free ticket to the next floor." Suggested Carys.

"A painful ticket." Snorted Ezra, but nevertheless she tossed the scarf to Carys.

Now that she was once again vulnerable to traps, the grate instantly broke, sending her falling to the next floor.

**B9F**

She landed on the spot a Pichu was just about to step on, narrowly avoiding being squished by the Shiny Litwick. Carys spawned beside her a second later.

Completely startled by the unexpected drop-in, the Pichu used Thunder Wave out of fright, paralyzing Ezra once more.

"Ergh..." She gritted her teeth, annoyed at being paralyzed once more.

"I got it." Carys said as she sent the Pichu flying with Shadow Ball.

It hit the wall, but as it was an electric-type, was not hurt by the jolt. In fact, it actually seemed to _like_ the shock. It picked itself up, and used Tail Whip on the two, lowering their defense with the cute little attack. It dodged Carys' Razor Leaf, and sweetly blew a kiss at her. The kiss landed on Carys' forehead, and the Pumpkaboo's eyes went glassy. She started wandering dizzily around the chamber, confused.

_Great,_ thought Ezra,_ now we can't do anything._

Indeed, the Pichu now had temporary immunity, and was using this opportunity to hit Ezra with its regular attack. Ezra stoically took the attacks, eagerly waiting until she was mobile again.

Eventually, she was freed, and she grinned wickedly as the Pichu realized this as well.

"Bye." She laughed as she Hexed it into unconsciousness.

A few seconds later, Carys snapped out of confusion, and gave Ezra her Trap Scarf back.

**B10F**

A Manectric and Dedenne had come to brawl with them. Carys took on the Manectric while Ezra handled the Dedenne.

Her foe began the fight with Charge Beam, knocking Ezra back a few feet. She shook her head and scowled. Charge Beam raised the user's special attack, so it would be stronger if she was hit by it again. Well, she'd just have to make sure she _wasn't_ hit by it.

She nailed her foe with Flame Burst, followed up by Hex. She grinned, sure that she had defeated her foe. But lo and behold, the Dedenne had saved itself by using Rest at the last second, completely restoring its health. Its snores grew louder and louder until Ezra couldn't take it. She held her hands to where her ears would be (if she had any), trying to block out the sounds of the Dedenne's Snore. Luckily, Manectric and Carys were affected by the Snore as well. Both Pokemon tried in vain to block out the sound, to no avail. Finally, Ezra had enough.

"That's it!" She roared, braving the Snore to blast the Dedenne with Night Shade, then Flame Burst. As it was defeated, the Snore died away, leaving a faint ringing in Ezra's head.

"Thanks!" Yelled Carys a little too loudly, obviously having gone a tad deaf temporarily.

"Augh!" Carys said a moment later as the Manectric used Spark on her, The force sent Carys crashing into the wall, where she was promptly electrocuted.

"Bad Manectric!" Stormed Ezra, punishing the foe with Hex. She had been banking on Carys using Trick-or-Treat while she was fighting Dedenne. To her satisfaction, the move was super-effective, and the attack plus Snore was enough to defeat the Manectric.

She went over to help Carys up.

"Ugh...thanks..." Winced Carys, little spasms periodically going through her.

Ezra offered her an Oran Berry, but the Pumpkaboo declined.

**B11F**

"Stairs are love, Stairs are life." Carys said vehemently, bowing in front of the Stairs.

Ezra slapped her hand to her forehead.

**B12F**

They found a Kecleon Shop in the northeast part of the floor. They grinned, eager to browse for some Luminous Orbs, but this particular shopkeeper soured their mood.

"Oh, did you two little ladies get lost?" The shopkeeper asked as they approached. Something in his tone rubbed them the wrong way.

"No, we're an exploration team." Explained Ezra, shaking her head.

"That's cute. I'm sure you two are having quite the fun little adventure, are you? Probably collect jewels or other shiny objects." Kecleon said dismissively.

Ezra frowned. Normally the shopkeepers were nice, but this one was a jerk.

"Actually, we're on our way to save the world. I'm the Champion of Light." Ezra said, standing up as straight as she could.

"Aw, playing pretend, are you? Listen, I know you two have big dreams, but leave the war to the professionals, okay? You two don't have to fret; you can focus on makeup or jewels to your little hearts' content." Kecleon snorted, leaning down to pat Ezra and Carys on the head. Ezra was sorely tempted to enlarge her flame and roast his hand, but refrained.

"Whatever. You got any Luminous Orbs?" Carys sighed impatiently, not wanting any more to do with this guy.

"Only one. Now, what this orb does is make a picture of the floor in your head, okay? Don't be scared by it." Began Kecleon, speaking as if to a small child.

"Forget it." Ezra snapped, interrupting him. "C'mon, Carys."

"Right." Carys nodded as they left the chamber.

They were silent until they found the Stairs a few chambers away from the shop. Ezra got an evil idea.

"Wanna use the Trawl Orb?" She asked mischievously.

"Um. _Yes_." Cackled Carys. Normally Ezra was against shoplifting, but she was willing to make an exception for sexist shopkeepers.

They broke the Trawl Orb, and instantly a bunch of items appeared all around them. There was: an apple, a Green Gummi, a Cheri Berry, a Luminous Orb, a Pierce Orb, a Longtoss Orb, a bunch of Poke, and a Special Band.

Deep within the floor, they could hear the shopkeeper shout:

"THIEF! I'VE BEEN SHOPLIFTED!"

Laughing mischievously, the duo stuffed as many items as they could into their bag. Curiously, a ton of Kecleons were appearing all over the place, and were heading straight for them!

Still giggling, Team Banshee descended the Stairs before the Kecleons could attack them.

**B13F**

They encountered an Electabuzz in a hallway. Carys dove into the wall beside Ezra in order to help. The Electabuzz began with Light Screen, reducing any damage it will take if it is hit by a special attack. No matter, they were perfectly fine with an extended pummeling.

Ezra beat the Electabuzz with Night Shade, and it was hit with Razor Leaf a few seconds later. It grinned, having had the damage dealt to it reduced. It retaliated with a Thunder Punch aimed at Ezra's face, but she jumped high into the air, not wanting to have her face smashed in.

Carys summoned candy, turning the Electabuzz into an electric/ghost-type.

"I'm going to call you Rotom!" She joked as she threw a Shadow Ball at it. The Electabuzz ducked out of the way, and settled on hitting Ezra with Electro Ball.

She screeched in pain as electricity coursed through her as she was hit by the ball. It felt like she was being fried like an egg. When the pain subsided, she was thoroughly determined to beat this foe into next _year_. Her flame swelled with power, and she launched a Flame Burst, pouring all her anger into the attack.

The Flame Burst critically struck the Electabuzz, and a Confuse Ray from Carys made any chance it had against them disappear. The duo attacked the foe over and over, until eventually it was defeated.

The foe beaten, Ezra's flame decreased to its normal height, and she felt immensely better. She cracked a grin, eager to get on with exploring.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." Carys commented wryly as they moved on.

**Charged Cavern Pit**

They entered a blue chamber the same color as the electrified walls. Brightly-colored crystals decorated the room, shining light in all directions.

They weren't alone, however. In the center of the room lay a brown figure slumped on the ground. A big, blue figure stood next to it. As they entered, the two figures looked up. The brown figure was in truth a Luxio wearing a brown trench coat and matching fedora. The hulking figure next to it was a Seismitoad.

"New friends!" Boomed the Seismitoad happily, clapping his enormous hands. His left eye was also permanently shut for some reason. Ezra could relate; her own right eye was sealed over by wax.

"Naw, Joshen. We ain't meetin' new friends today." The Luxio said, getting up and stretching. He had a smile on his face that put Team Banshee on edge. His smile was not a pleasant one.

"Awww, but Luugiiii, we _never_ meet new friends..." The Seismitoad—Joshen?—pouted, but didn't move.

"Can we help you? Where are the two Shards?" Ezra asked, scanning the room with her eye. She didn't dare turn her head away from this duo. She had the distinct feeling they were in for a fight soon.

"They ain't 'ere, 'oney. See, the Dark Lord lied. The Shards are actually with Dialga and Palkia. And _those two_ ain't so keen on giving 'em up either. So, 'E tells us, 'Go guard the dungeon. See who comes. Bring 'em 'ere fer me.' " The Luxio—Lugi?—purred, grinning wickedly.

"It was either that or death, so 'ere we are! Ya gonna go quietly, or do I 'ave to rough ya up a bit first?" He went on.

"I wanna play too, Lugi!" Whined Joshen.

"'Ush up, and maybe ya will! Sit tight, ya lug, and if yer good I'll let ya play with them." Snapped Lugi.

"I be good!" Joshen obeyed, sitting down hard enough to shake the ground. Ezra and Carys rebalanced themselves. They had no desire to fight that giant of a Pokemon.

"Awesome." Lugi said, and a second later he dove at Carys with Thunder Fang. She barely managed to twist out of the way.

**Boss Battle ( watch?v=8wrLikpCrlU)**

"I _really_ 'ad 'oped y'all would surrender." Sighed Lugi, licking a paw. "Battlin' is so...uncouth."

"We don't have to battle. We just wanted the Shards." Ezra said, watching the Luxio carefully. If he didn't like battling, perhaps they could leave peacefully.

"I did too, but alas, 'twas a trap, things went 'aywire, so 'ere we are. The Dark Lord wishes it." Grumbled Lugi, suddenly diving at Carys. The Luxio was nothing but a blur to Ezra as he bit Carys' head with Ice Fang. He spat her out, then circled the duo. Meanwhile, Joshen was happily playing with a crystal he had broken off the wall. ...A big chunk of wall had come off with the crystal as well.

"'Ey! Joshen!" Called Lugi. "Use Rain Dance, would ya?"

"Yay! I like rain!" Beamed Joshen, summoning a raincloud that grew to cover the entire roof of the cavern. Rain steadily fell down, making Ezra's flame sputter in anger. Suddenly she got an idea.

"Um, mister Joshen?" She called. "Could you make the rain go away? It makes me sad."

"Don't do it!" Screamed Lugi, narrowly dodging a Razor Leaf from Carys.

"But it makes candle lady sad, Lugi." Pouted Joshen, dispelling the rain.

"Oh fer th' love..." Muttered Lugi, slapping his forehead with a forepaw. He bounded over to make Joshen use Rain Dance once more, leaving Ezra and Carys free to discuss strategy.

"You okay? That Ice Fang looked like it hurt. ...Say, how does a Luxio know Ice Fang anyway?" Ezra asked.

"Ergh, I'm fine. Lugi's Rivalry made it weaker than it should be. His attacks should be a bit weaker, since Rivalry weakens attacks against the opposite gender. And Ice Fang is an egg move for Shinx. Sometimes, a parent will transfer one of its moves to the baby. Either his mother or father knew Ice Fang, and he picked it up."Carys explained.

"Gotcha. I think if we keep the hulking giant over there happy, we'll only have to deal with Lugi." Ezra nodded as the rain started back up again.

A blinding Flash came from where Joshen and Lugi were standing, flooding Ezra's vision with nothing but white. She blinked, trying to see where the foes were. She felt her side be bitten with Thunder Fang, the jolting bite making her spasm uncontrollably.

"Candy time!" Shouted Carys from nearby.

Her vision cleared just enough to let her see Carys turn Lugi into a ghost/electric-type.

Carys tossed a few candy bars over to Joshen, who squealed happily and immediately started eating them, wrappers and all.

Ezra blinked. Her vision wouldn't clear properly; tears kept flooding to her eye and making it sting. She saw a blue blur race towards Carys, and she attempted to hit the blue object with Hex. She missed, as her eye would not stop watering.

She heard Carys shout, and Lugi grunt. He must have been hit with an attack. Ezra tried to launch another Hex at where she heard the grunt, but she heard no wail in return. She must have missed again.

She felt another Thunder Fang hit her, and she automatically made her flame rise higher, singeing the Luxio.

"Ahh!" He cried, and Ezra felt herself being released from the bite.

"You're gonna pay for that." Growled Lugi as Ezra's vision finally returned to normal. There were still spots of color that danced across her eye, but at least she could see her foe again. He was licking his right foreleg, where Ezra had scorched him.

Good. If he was burned, then his attacks would be even weaker, and it would pain him to move.

Ezra didn't respond, only blasted him with Night Shade. Joshen watched, oblivious to the fighting. Obviously he thought they must be wrestling or playing.

Lugi Volt Switched himself behind Ezra, where she was promptly knocked into Carys, sending them sprawling across the floor.

Carys got up first, and attempted to hit him with Confuse Ray, but he used his Volt Switch to dodge and hit her. Ezra surprised him with Flame Burst, and the Luxio collapsed, only to get right back up again. His burn was paining him, however. Ezra didn't miss his wince as he put weight on his leg as he got up.

"Heh. Y'all are tough, I'll give ya that. But ya won't win!" He chuckled, diving at Carys with Ice Fang. She was ready, though, and blasted him away with Shadow Ball. Ezra Hexed him the moment he hit the ground.

"...Joshen, ya need to 'it 'em with Sludge Wave. _Right now._" Lugi ordered, limping over towards him. It looked incredibly painful, but the Luxio managed to drag himself over to his ally.

"But the candle and pumpkin are friends, Lugi. They give me candy!" Joshen shook his head.

"Ya see these?" Lugi held up his burned leg and nodded at his bruised body.

"Lugi hurt!" Exclaimed Joshen concernedly.

"Yes, Joshen. And th' candle and pumpkin were th' ones who did it. They're bein' real mean to me." Lugi nodded, egging the Seismitoad on.

Ezra felt her heart leap into her chest. She did _not_ want to fight that brute.

"They...did? But you were playing." Joshen paused.

"Naw, Joshen. They attacked me. They 'urt my feelings. I might even cry." Lugi said, putting on a sad face.

"Why you hurt Lugi?" Asked Joshen to Ezra and Carys.

"He's hurting us." Explained Ezra as Lugi came to sit in front of Joshen. She aimed a Hex at him, but the Luxio jumped out of the way and she hit Joshen instead.

"See, Joshen? They tried to 'urt us." Chuckled Lugi, wincing as he did so.

Instantly, Joshen's face grew furious.

"You hurt me! You no friend! You want to hurt Lugi! No one hurt Lugi!" He screamed, bounding clumsily over to Ezra and Carys. He spit out a giant wave of sludge that washed over Ezra, Carys, and even Lugi.

The Luxio calmly pulled out an Oran Berry from his coat, then ate it. Immediately, his bruises disappeared, leaving only his burn, as Oran Berries did not heal status moves.

Joshen loomed over Ezra and Carys, who were too petrified to move.

"Attack 'em!" Ordered Lugi from the back of the chamber.

"Who, Lugi?" Asked Joshen, turning to shoot Lugi a confused look.

"Either one." Shrugged Lugi.

_Please not me please not me please not me PLEASE NOT ME!_ Thought Ezra, who was paralyzed with fear.

"Eeney meeney miny—you." Joshen decided cocking his fist and turning to Carys.

"Wh-What?" Carys gulped before she was Drain Punched three feet deep into the wall. That was over twenty feet away.

"Ah!" She wailed as she hit the ground with a thump, and didn't get back up again.

"Woo! Not me! ...Carys?" Ezra cheered, then realized that her friend wasn't getting back up. They had plenty of Reviver Seeds, so Carys was only dazed, not unconscious.

Joshen turned to her, and Ezra felt the blood drain from her face.

"Oh...Thought that would've lasted longer." She said, wishing they could catch a break to regroup and discuss a new strategy.

"Candle's next!" Shouted Joshen as he started bounding towards her. Each step he took made the ground quake.

She got an idea.

"Wait, my turn myturnMYTURN!" She screamed as he grew closer and closer She closed her eye, bracing herself for the wave of agony that was about to come.

When it didn't come, she hesitantly opened her eye to find that Joshen had screeched to a halt three feet away from her. Ezra felt her heart slowly sink from her throat and back to her chest.

"Wha...? Joshen, what are you doin'?" Demanded Lugi, getting up and lashing his tail angrily.

"It her turn, Lugi. I have to wait for her." Explained Joshen patiently. Ezra breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't expected that to work at all.

Lugi groaned loudly, bashing his forehead against the floor of the cavern.

"Can we...start over? I didn't mean to hurt you." Ezra asked timidly. If there was a chance she could avoid fighting an unnaturally-powerful water/ground-type, she would take it. Behind Joshen, she saw Carys get up from the ground, looking like she could use ten Oran Berries.

"You hurt Lugi." Grunted Joshen.

"I know, and we're very sorry. Aren't we, Carys?" Ezra asked, trying to alert Carys to her plan. Fortunately, she caught on.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, _sooooooo_ sorry. We got so caught up in our game, we went a little overboard. Here, have more candy." Carys said, wincing as she Trick-or-Treated Joshen. He hesitated, but didn't seem entirely convinced. He picked up a candy bar, and absentmindedly ate it.

"Don't listen to 'em! Muddy Water, _now_!" Shouted Lugi.

"You can have candy too!" Exclaimed Carys as she tossed a few candy bars at Lugi. If looks could kill, Carys would be very, _very_ dead.

"See? We just want to be friends. Here, have an apple!" Ezra went on persuasively, tossing Joshen an apple.

"I like apples..." He murmured, no longer looking furious, merely confused.

"And we like friends! Would you like to be friends?" Carys piped up, eating an Oran Berry.

"No! No you don't!" Screamed Lugi, bounding over to them.

"You fight them right now!" He yelled at Joshen, all his fur standing up.

Joshen hesitated, looking from Ezra to Lugi and back again.

"I no know!" He eventually wailed, gripping his head and flopping down on the floor, sobbing pitifully. The force of impact was enough to knock everyone a foot up in the air.

Lugi stared at Joshen for a long moment, then sighed.

"I overestimated this idiot's 'eart. Now I'm stuck wid all th' battlin'."

"Look, man, it's clear you're not gonna win. We have tons of Reviver Seeds, and you're still burned. Plus, you were going to lose before you got your friend to fight for you. We're not really in the mood to have a long, drawn-out battle either. You said that the Dark Lord made you guard the dungeon under threat of death because you fell for His trap and tried to steal the Shards, right? Well, we're on our way to stop Him once and for all. My name is Ezra, and I'm the Champion of Light." Ezra told the Luxio, ignoring the sobbing Seismitoad next to her.

Lugi's eyes went wide. "The...Champion of Light? You? ...Ergh. Just my luck." He growled, lashing his tail.

"If you let us go, we'll do the same. We won't tell anyone of our little encounter. That way, _He_ doesn't have to know that you failed your mission, and you don't get arrested by the police. What do you say?" Ezra went on.

Lugi scowled, but didn't look utterly convinced. Ezra sighed.

"You really want to battle? Fine. I'll go first. Hex." She said, preparing a Hex, knowing that the move would deal double the damage against a burned opponent. Lugi knew it too, apparently.

"Wait," He said, sighing. Ezra paused in charging the attack, the purple wave of energy suspended above her head. "Fine. Ya win. Jus' leave." He snarled.

Ezra let her attack dissipate into nothing. "Thanks. And, look, if you're worried about us keeping our end of the bargain, you could always go into hiding. You could lie low until all of this blows over." She suggested.

"Don't tell me 'ow to live my life." Snapped Lugi. "I said go. Leave, before I change my mind."

To Joshen, he added, "Get up. Yer okay. Look, stop yer cryin' and I'll give ya a Big Apple."

Not wanting to waste any more time, Team Banshee quickly left the dungeon.

* * *

**Lily Town**

When they got home, everyone clamored to know what had happened. Ezra kept the story brief, saying only that they got to the end of the dungeon, but there were no Shards. She then told the town that Cresselia spoke to them while they were in the dungeon, and told them that the last two Shards were with Dialga and Palkia. She was still trying to locate the Time Shield and Air Blade, but should have an update soon. It felt odd, lying to her friends, but she was determined to keep her end of the bargain with the odd duo in Charged Cavern.

The town despaired at first, but quickly became confident that Cresselia would locate the two items, and that Team Banshee would save Dialga and Palkia from their madness.

Team Banshee hoped they would succeed as well, more than the town knew. Time was running out, and they couldn't guarantee that they would be able to finish their quest.

Right now, all they could do was wait for Cresselia's word.

* * *

**Yay! More references!**

**Apologies for the lateness; I went on vacation earlier than I expected. Thanks to Lunarium Prince for Lugi and Joshen! (Last fan-submitted OC, I promise.)**

**So, the last two Shards lie with the enraged Dialga and Palkia, eh? Well, good thing the duo already have to give them their items back ;)**

**The next chapter shall be action-packed, filled with legendary boss fights, insane foes, and a life-saving rescue! Stay tuned~**

**The chapter 12 premiere shall contain: impatience, a half-hearted job, and a dream message.**


	62. Chapter 12 Those With Darkened Hearts

** Chapter 12. Those with Darkened Hearts**

The town was very disappointed when they learned Team Banshee had not received news from Cresselia during the night. Team Banshee were even more disappointed. Now what were they supposed to do, if they didn't have the locations of the Air Blade, Time Shield, and Space Globe? Arceus could be dead by now, and yet they couldn't do a thing about it.

Pokemon were starting to get worried, but Victini wasn't one to let fear conquer the morale. She told the townspeople that a message could come at any moment, and that they had to remain positive. She hadn't heard anything from her own legendary allies, and neither had Hoopa, so it was a safe bet that Arceus was still alive. Barely hanging on, but alive.

Victini had taken up residence at Rose's Lofts temporarily, as Neal only had two small rooms in the back of his shop. Hoopa's room was only big enough for one occupant, and Victini was adamant that she not take away Neal's only sleeping place. The militant legendary had enough Poke to pay Rose's rent, and was very much offended when the insanely rich Team Siren offered to pay her rent for her, as they did with everyone else in the building. The trio went after fame, not fortune. To Victini, it was like they were saying she was too poor to live here. And that was something the Victory Pokemon could not stand. She explained curtly that whenever a challenger lost to her, they had to pay her 500 Poke. Since every single one of her many challengers lost to her, she had accumulated quite a stash of Poke.

Victini wasn't the only Pokemon to have come to stay at the Lofts. Team Triple S, Team Dauntless, and even the Hooded Brotherhood had returned from their various errands. Team Dauntless had taken down their 1000th outlaw, and Team Triple S had finally resolved the problem that a town had summoned them for.

"A herd of angry Bouffalant had stampeded through the village, trampling almost the entire village to the ground." Began the brainy leader, Marcus the Abra, groaning as he flopped down on a chair in the commons room.

"Most of the villagers were unhurt, just scared, but they realized a few of their children were missing. They were afraid the Bouffalant had carried them off, or worse, were buried underneath the remnants of the village." Continued the speedy Treecko, Will.

"Clearing the wreckage would take days, so they asked us to help. Well, we looked underneath all the rubble, but we didn't find the kids. So, we started to track down the Bouffalant in case they kidnapped them. We searched through a nearby forest, where the tracks led, and we eventually found the children. Turns out, they had hid in the woods when the stampede started, and had gotten lost. We brought them back, and the villagers thanked us. They said they could rebuild by themselves, so here we are!" Ended the powerful Luxio, Sam.

"Wow! I'm glad no one was seriously hurt." Whistled Ivysaur after the tale had ended.

"We are too." Sighed Marcus.

"Everyone's been running ragged, trying to sort out all the trouble in the land." Nodded Sky of the HB sagely.

"So many good Pokemon have disappeared, too. It's such a shame; we could really have used their help. Especially Detective Mawile; now _he_ we could really use." Cave nodded. The Golem bowed his head solemnly.

"Who's Detective Mawile?"Asked Ezra.

"You don't know who he is? Ah, right, you're not from here." Said Sips. "He disappeared around the time you arrived in this world, actually. He was a great guy with a talent for sleuthing. He's famous for taking down dragon-type outlaws, who are some of the nastiest Pokemon you'll ever see. Not many could stand up to them, but Mawile was one of the few who could." The Marshtomp went on.

"Then one day, he disappeared without a trace. Last we heard, he was going after the Dark. He, along with his apprentice, must have gambled and lost that fight. He was a very good friend of ours. He'll be sorely missed." Sky concluded. The Staraptor fell silent, obviously mourning the loss of their friend.

"Wait...Mawile had an apprentice? That can't be right; he always went solo for as long as I can remember." Protested Rose, looking confused.

"For the longest time he did. But a couple months before his disappearance, he took on an apprentice for the first time in his life. We met her once; she's a Minun named Kay. ...Is something the matter?" Asked Sips to Meloetta, who had jumped when he said the apprentice's name.

"A Minun named Kay? I know her." Meloetta whispered, looking distraught. "You'll all remember that I come from a dungeon named Singing Hills. Well, at the end of the dungeon is a village, where I grew up. Kay lived there, too. She was my best friend growing up, and now to hear that she's most likely..." She couldn't finish the thought.

The group fell silent, their hearts aching for Meloetta. First she had lost Glace, and now her childhood friend was probably dead? The poor legendary's heart had just healed from the break-up with Glace; it couldn't take another shattering blow.

"Well...Detective Mawile and Kay haven't officially been declared dead yet. As famous as Mawile is, I'm sure the Dark Lord wouldn't hesitate to tell the world that he's dead. The fact that He hasn't done so is good news. As for Kay, well, it's entirely possible she escaped, and is in hiding. We'll ask around and see if we can gather word about the duo." Offered Cave, putting a hand around Meloetta's shoulder. The now-despondent legendary only dully nodded her head.

Ezra was only half-listening to the conversation. Her thoughts had wandered back to Cresselia. Where _was_ she with the news they so desperately needed? Arceus would die at any second; they _needed_ more info!

"Ezra?" Rose's voice cut through her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. From the sound of Rose's voice, it wasn't the first time she had called her name.

"What? Sorry." Ezra said, focusing back on the crowd.

"I said, what will you and Carys do now if Cresselia hasn't contacted you?" Rose repeated patiently.

"Oh." Ezra hadn't even thought about that. "Well, the only thing _to do_ is a job. Who knows, maybe she'll contact us while we're exploring." She shrugged. Truth be told, a job didn't sound appealing to her—they had a war to win!—but she didn't see any other way to pass the time.

"That sounds like a good idea. Pokemon still desperately need our help." Chrysi agreed, nodding.

"How will you two go out if Trina's still sick?" Asked Ivysaur. The Nidorina was still feeling ill, but Sora promised that she would be well again in a few days.

"We'll just have to manage without her. No fire-type dungeons for these two!" Chrysi beamed, putting a hand on Milana's shoulder.

Carys stood up. "We should probably get started on that job. I'll pick one out." She said to Ezra, who nodded absentmindedly, lost in her thoughts once more.

* * *

**Jungle Thicket ( watch?v=ReZcutxobU8)**

The job Carys picked was an escort mission to B8F of Jungle Thicket, where they had once learned of Ben's kidnapping almost a month ago. The client was a Machop who was looking for a Chesto Berry. He had heard one could be found on B8F, but was too weak to go in by himself.

As they approached the humid jungle, they saw their client sitting by the entrance. He stood up when he saw them approach.

"Are you an exploration team?" He asked.

"Yep. Let's go." Ezra said curtly, wanting to get this job over and done with already.

**B1F**

The floor was made of soft, dark green grass that had small pink flowers growing in between the closely-grown stalks. The wall...they couldn't even tell what it was made of, as it was _completely_ covered in moss. Not an inch was spared from the brightly colored plant. It was also very hot and humid here, and already the trio were sweating buckets.

Ezra wasn't thinking about the job, however. She was more concerned with Cresselia and the whole save-the-world thing she was supposed to be doing. She really starting to get frustrated. When Arceus' life and the fate of the whole world was at stake they couldn't afford to waste a second!

"Um...excuse me?" She felt a finger tap her shoulder. She turned to see a Machop behind her. What was a Machop doing here? Oh. Right. The job.

"Yes?" Ezra asked.

"We've uh...been standing here for five minutes...I don't even know your names..." He trailed off.

"Oh. Sorry. I'm Ezra, and this is Carys." She introduced, nudging a spaced-out Carys.

"I got it! Wait, what?" The Pumpkaboo exclaimed, looking around.

"The mission...?" Prompted Ezra.

"Oh. Right. Let's go." Carys nodded. With that said, they were finally off.

**B2F**

Ezra was absentmindedly wandering the halls when she bumped into a wall. Odd, the wall was awfully squishy and rubbery for moss. She looked up, and saw that the wall was in fact a Tangrowth.

"Oh dear." Was all had time to say before she was forcefully Vined Whipped into Carys and Machop.

"Carys! Take the left wall! Machop! Stay behind me!" She ordered. The foes in here would be very weak, as she and Carys had toughened up a bunch since their first time in this overgrown place. The Tangrowth would fall easily.

As Carys and Machop did as they were told, Ezra sized up her foe. It was huge, so it didn't have a lot of room to maneuver in. She could easily tank the grass-type attacks, thus protecting her client. The Tangrowth used Absorb on her, and it only felt like someone was tickling her.

"You expect that to hurt me?" She raised an eyebrow as she and Carys ended it with a Flame-Ball combo. Overkill, but hey, it worked.

"That...was amazing..." Machop said in awe as Carys returned to the dungeon proper.

Ezra flashed him a grin before returning to exploring.

A Grovyle came to harass them shortly after that, but all it took was a Flame Burst from Ezra to take it down.

**B3F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

The sun felt nice, but what would be even nicer was if Cresselia would contact them. There! She felt a twinge of lethargy; was that Cresselia summoning them? No, that was just a Treecko using Giga Drain on her. Nothing important. Wait, what?

She snapped back to reality just as she was hit by another Giga Drain. Machop was cowering behind a spaced-out Carys.

Ezra sighed. This day was not going as well as she had hoped it would. She aimed a Flame Burst at the foe, but it dodged and quickly hit her with Pound. The blow hardly hurt, but nevertheless she punished it with Flame Burst, defeating it.

"Earth to Carys...?" She said, poking Carys.

"What?" Carys returned to reality.

"There was a Treecko attacking us. I defeated it." Ezra informed her wryly.

"Oh. Sorry, I'm just worried about you-know-what." Carys sighed.

Ezra sighed as well. "Me too. But we can't let it distract us."

Machop only looked at them, very confused as to what they were saying.

**B4F**

Ezra was distracted, all right. After they spawned, she automatically headed for a corridor, but Machop tugged her back.

"The uh, Stairs are right here..." He said, pointing to them. They were in her peripheral vision. Normally she would have spotted them, but the whole 'Where's Cresselia' thing was seriously distracting her from the task at hand.

"I knew that." She said.

**B5F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

At least Ezra and Carys were paying attention this time. They spawned with a Tropius, and a Pinsir had come to join them as well. Machop hid behind them as the duo took on the two easy foes. Despite the rain, Ezra's fire-type moves were still quite potent against the two foes.

Ezra launched an Ember at Pinsir, but the wily foe dodged and retaliated with Revenge. She only laughed at the weak attack and finished it with Flame Burst. The volley of fire spread wide, enough to singe the Tropius Carys was fighting. As the Pinsir went down, the Tropius howled in pain, and Carys took advantage to end it with Shadow Ball.

"One more." Machop pointed to the northern corridor, where a Tangela was just arriving.

"On it." Ezra grinned as she ran to tangle with the Tangela, her blue flame hissing as each raindrop hit it.

The Tangela saw her coming, and attempted to stop her with Vine Whip. Two vines grabbed her and pinned her arms to her sides. The vines were attached to the Tangela, who then lifted Ezra high up into the air, intending to slam her down hard on the ground. But Ezra wasn't going to let it do that.

She used her Flame Burst to set the vines alight. With the rain, they weren't on fire for very long, but it was enough time for the pain to register in its brain. Shrieking, it dropped her, waving its arms around before the fire was put out by the rain. Ezra followed up with one more Flame Burst, and she no longer had a Tangela to worry about.

**B6F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

They spawned in with a Heracross. Ezra didn't even notice as it went after Machop. Instead, she automatically headed towards a corridor, once more lost in her own thoughts. What if Arceus was dead? What if they got all the items, only for It to die? What if Cresselia was captured? Ugh! There was so much at stake, and so little time!

"EZRA!" Dimly, she heard her name being called. She turned, and nearly jumped out of her own wax when she saw Machop narrowly dodging Chip Away after Chip Away. Carys was once again spaced out, following her wherever she went.

"Coming!" Ezra called as she ran over to defend the client. It was so focused on Machop, it didn't notice as she launched a Flame Burst at it. It fell with a surprised look on its face.

"Why didn't you come earlier?!" Demanded Machop, looking shaken but otherwise unhurt.

"Sorry." Squeaked Ezra. She had no excuse.

Machop only sighed and shook his head.

"Whatever. Let's just keep going."

**B7F**

"What are these?" Asked Machop, pointing to a curious pair of transparent glasses.

Ezra turned to Carys, the item expert. Carys was lost in her own thoughts, but a nudge from Ezra sent her back to reality.

"Huh? Oh, those are X-Ray Specs. You can see the locations of foes and items in your head." She explained.

"Neat. I'll take them." Machop eagerly put the specs on, but when he did, he cried out in horror.

"Ack! I can't see anything! I can't see you guys! There are only a Tangela and Tropius here now!" He attempted to attack Ezra with Karate Chop, but she nimbly sidestepped, utterly confused.

Carys groaned. "**Y-**Ray Specs. He can't see anything, and we appear as enemies to him. Quick, knock the Y-Ray Specs off him!"

"I'll hold him down if you'll get the specs off." Ezra said as she dove at the wailing Machop.

She sat on his chest, pinning his arms to the floor. He was strong, though, and she struggled to restrain his arms. Carys quickly took the Y-Ray Specs off of him, and he immediately began to calm down.

"What? What happened? Where are the two enemies?" He asked, bewildered.

"You actually put on Y-Ray Specs, which are a lookalike item for X-Ray Specs. Y-Ray Specs cause you to be unable to see anything, and allies appear as foes." Explained Carys as Ezra got off of him.

"O-oh...I don't think I want them anymore..." Said a frazzled Machop.

Carys threw the Y-Ray Specs away, and the three continued on.

**B8F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

_Ping!_ Went their badges.

"What was that?" Asked a startled Machop.

"What was what?" Asked Ezra, coming out of her own thoughts.

"That pinging sound just now."

"Oh, that was our badges. They do that whenever we arrive at the destination floor." Ezra explained.

"So the Chesto Berry is here somewhere? Awesome." Machop smiled.

It turns out the berry was in the next chamber. Machop eagerly grabbed the berry, and looked expectantly at Ezra and Carys.

"What?" Asked Ezra.

"How do we get out?" Asked Machop.

"OH! Right. One second." Ezra recalled as she beamed Machop out of the dungeon. A second later, Ezra and Carys did the same.

* * *

**Lily Town**

"Uh, thanks for escorting me. I uh, really appreciate it." Machop said back at the Lofts.

"No problem." Carys said distractedly.

"...Uh, here's the Reviver Seed I promised..." The client said awkwardly after a long pause.

"What? Oh, right, thanks. Take care." Ezra said, taking the seed from their client.

"Right. Um, bye." He said, shuffling out of the door and into town.

Ezra stared of into the distance, wondering why Cresselia hadn't contacted them. Did something happen to her? Did Arceus die, rendering the find-the-items quest useless? _What happened?!_

She sighed, putting the thoughts temporarily out of her head. She could worry later. Right now, she was with a client. She had to be polite.

She went to say goodbye to Machop, but he was nowhere in sight. She looked around, confused. Where'd he go...?

"Where'd our client go?" She asked, looking everywhere on the floor.

"He left a few minutes ago." Pelipper called helpfully from his post at the exploration team registration desk.

"He did?" Asked Carys.

"Yep." Pelipper nodded.

"Oh..." Ezra felt rather bad about ignoring their client. Well, nothing could be done about it now.

The other residents were sad to hear that Team Banshee had not been contacted by Cresselia, and the duo went to bed feeling frustrated and a little angry at Cresselia. They fell into a fitful slumber.

* * *

When Ezra woke up, she was in Lily Town with Carys in the middle of the night.

"Good evening." Said the voice they'd been waiting all day to hear. They turned to see Cresselia, looking much better than she had last time they spoke.

"Cresselia! Why didn't you contact us earlier?" Demanded Ezra by way of greeting.

"I have only _just_ learned the location of one of the three items you seek." Cresselia explained, looking a tad annoyed.

"Oh. Uh, sorry. Carry on." Ezra said sheepishly.

Cresselia sighed, and suddenly the terrain changed so that they were now standing on top of a giant map of the continent. Cresselia flew over towards the western half of the continent, stopping at a forest a few miles from the center of the west coast.

"This is Dubious Woods. It is where the Air Blade, Palkia's item, lies. Of this, my operative—my one remaining operative—is sure." Cresselia explained.

"What do you mean, 'one remaining operative'? Don't you have the Lunar Wind?" Asked Ezra, coming to stand above Dubious Woods alongside Cresselia. Dubious Woods wasn't too far from Lily Town, actually. It was only a few hours away.

"I had but two operatives stationed in the Dark's fortress. They were the only two who managed to survive. The Dark found the rest..." Cresselia's face darkened with sadness, and Ezra realized she had lost many good Pokemon.

"And now that Drapion has been discovered and killed, I only have one more spy left. Now that she's so close to discovering where the remaining two items are, I grow ever worried that she'll be discovered, and killed as well..." Cresselia went on, shuddering.

"But that is not your concern. Tomorrow, you shall traverse Dubious Woods, and obtain the Air Blade." Cresselia explained.

"What about Palkia's dungeon? And the Time Shield and Dialga?" Asked Carys, joining the two.

"I already know where Palkia's dungeon is. It's over here." Cresselia said, flying over to the northeastern corner of the map. She stopped a few miles from the coast of that part of the continent. Below her was a tower.

"This tower is called Astral Rift. The day after tomorrow, you and the Lunar Wind will traverse the dungeon together. You will in all actuality have to fight Palkia, and he will be too much for you two to handle by yourselves. But with my disciples at your side, I believe you have a chance at defeating him, and returning his mind back to normal with the Air Blade. After that, I should have the location of the Time Shield. I know where Dialga's dungeon is already." Explained Cresselia.

"Dubious Woods, get Air Blade. Astral Rift, fight Palkia with Team Lunar Wind. Sounds like a plan." Ezra nodded, finally happy to be doing _something_.

"Is Arceus okay? Is It still alive?" Carys asked softly.

"Yes. You will know if Arceus dies. You see, upon Arceus' death, Celestial Spire will fall, and the force of the destruction of the tower will be powerful enough to shake the entire world. As I understand, the Spire is crumbling, but has not fallen yet. It will soon, though, so—" Cresselia ended abruptly. She raised her head, looking very confused. She stared intently at the right, but when Ezra looked, nothing was there.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"An...unexpected development." Cresselia replied.

"What is it?" Carys asked.

"He's starting to see what he turned her into, and it scares him..." Cresselia murmured. After a moment, she shook her head, and turned back to Team Banshee.

"It's...nothing. Where was I? Oh, yes. So, we have our game plan for the next few days. Unless you two have any other questions, I'll see you tomorrow night?"

Team Banshee shook their heads.

"Alright. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Oh, and...Ezra?" Cresselia paused as the dream started to fade. "After this is all over, if you live...Uxie can restore your memories."

Ezra had no chance to respond before the dream faded completely.

* * *

**Chapter 12 out of 14! Almost at the end of the main story, guys! :D**

**Regarding the rest of the story...If my calculations are correct, then the story should end in early September. **_**If **_**I update four times a week, and **_**if**_** I take no breaks at the end of each chapter. As Chapter 11 was coming to an end, I was indeed uploading about four times a week. I soon found that such a rapid turnout was not a good idea. I didn't want to have to update so frequently, and I'm sure the quality showed. I had about half of the Chapter 11 finale written when I unexpectedly went on vacation, and when I returned, I noticed that I was including more details and imagery than I had before. It was because I was writing at my **_**own**_** pace, not to my projected deadline's pace. So, I've decided I will now upload about 2-3 times a week, and the story will end when it ends. Sound good? Alright. **

**Granted, I may not upload as frequently once school begins in the fall (yay college), but I'll try to update as much as I can :) **

**Also, don't forget I have a sequel of sorts planned after Light in the Darkness ends! That will probably occur in late 2015/early 2016, but at least we'll get to see old characters and new once more!**

**By the way, what do you guys think of Formora?**

**The next post shall contain: Dubious Woods, the Air Blade, and the plan for fighting Palkia.**


	63. Chapter 63

The town rejoiced to hear that they had been contacted by Cresselia. The mood of the Pokemon immediately brightened, and the townsfolk had an extra spring in their steps.

"So you're going out to obtain the Air Blade?" Asked Wanda as the duo prepared for the trip.

"Yup. We should be back around dinnertime." Ezra nodded as she bought some apples from the green Kecleon.

"Ooh. Good luck with the exploration! I have faith in you." The Gardevoir nodded.

Shortly after nine, the town wished them good luck and farewell as Team Banshee began their trek to Dubious Woods.

* * *

**Dubious Woods ( watch?v=hNqgnCIgkns)**

After four hours of walking, the duo came to a dark, dense forest. The trees grew close together, preventing most of the light from seeping through. As such, most of the plants here were stunted. They stopped at the entrance to the dungeon.

"Ooh. I can see why they call it Dubious Woods. That place looks sinister." Commented Carys.

"Yeah. ...You remember what Cresselia told me last night?" Asked Ezra after a moment's pause. She had been thinking about this all morning.

"About Uxie restoring your memory? Yeah! That's awesome, Ezra!" Beamed Carys.

"I'll finally remember my old life, when I was a human...I wonder...if anyone misses me? I don't plan on going back, so..." Ezra trailed off, troubled. She had to have friends and a family back home. Were they wondering what happened to her? The thought was heartbreaking.

"Maybe...maybe we can get Hoopa, or Palkia once he's back to normal to send a message for you? They're the masters of dimensions, so it shouldn't be too hard for them to warp between worlds." Suggested Carys.

Ezra's spirits lifted. "That's perfect! I'll do that. Come on! The Air Blade awaits!" She laughed as she dove into the dungeon.

**B1F**

The dungeon was quite dim. There was little light leaking through the dense forest above, and there were not many natural sources of light down in the actual dungeon. Luckily, Ezra's flame and Carys' belly produced light, so at least they had that going for them.

The floor was made of hard packed brown dirt, with smooth black rocks as long as a Mudkip set at irregular intervals in the floor. The walls were made of gray stone, but viridian ivy covered most of it. A few colorful flowers grew alongside the ivy as well.

"Hmm. This place is bound to be full of grass-types. Maybe a few bug-types." Commented Ezra, looking around.

"It certainly has Grass Gummis." Said Carys, picking it up and popping it in her mouth. "Mmm, peas. Tasty."

"I should lead, if we're most likely going to deal with grass- and bug-types." Suggested Ezra.

"Good idea. And I'll support you from the walls if we run into anyone in the halls. Haha, I rhymed." Nodded Carys.

"Ah, I didn't think to ask Cresselia how long this place was! Ugh, oh well. Hopefully not terribly long. Come on, the Air Blade's calling our names." Said Ezra, beckoning Carys to follow her as she entered a corridor.

**B2F**

"Hey Carys, a Rotom's come to play with us." Announced Ezra, grinning wickedly as a Rotom entered the chamber they were in.

"Ooh, can you stall for me? I'm not ready to see visitors just yet." Carys called from the other side of the room, where she was busy picking up a Reviver Seed.

"No prob." Ezra said back as she threw a Hex at the Rotom.

It dodged, and began wailing unnaturally loudly. Ezra put her hands over the area where her ears would be (if she had any), trying to block out the sounds of the Uproar. Luckily, it didn't hurt terribly badly, due to the type disadvantage.

Once it was done, she hit it with a Night Shade, then defeated it with Hex.

"It just dropped by long enough to say hi." Ezra reported to Carys, who had joined her.

"Aww." Carys mock-pouted.

**B3F**

.syraC demialcxE "!sriatS"

"How did you...?" Asked Ezra, awed despite the blatant breaking of the fourth wall.

Carys grinned. "I have my ways~"

**B4F**

They were busy fighting a Dustox and Ninjask in a hall. Carys dove into the wall next to Ezra in order to help out. They were really liking the tactic Chrysi had taught them.

Ezra threw a volley of Flame Burst at the Dustox, but it ducked, instead hitting the Ninjask. The first foe then whipped up a very powerful Whirlwind, sending Ezra flying until she hit a wall a few yards back. For some odd reason, all the turns in dungeons were at 90 degrees.

Dazed, she dropped to the floor. A second later, she shook her head, and began running back to join the fray. She defeated the Dustox with a Night Shade, then together she and Carys took down the speedy Ninjask with a combination of Confuse Ray and Ember. To their surprise, the Ninjask dropped a brightly colored box.

"Uh...what's this thing?" Asked Ezra, inspecting it. She tried to pry it open, but no matter how hard she tried, the lid wouldn't budge.

The box was painted gold, with green edges. Both colors were covered in glitter.

"I think...this is where we find exclusive items. Hmm. Maybe someone back home can open this Glittery Box?" Carys suggested.

Ezra was certainly curious as to what was inside it, so she agreed, and the two continued along once more.

**B5F**

While exploring, the duo encountered a Luminous Orb. Since they had wandered most of the floor already with no sign of the Stairs, they decided to use it.

To their consternation, the Stairs were located in a room perpendicular to the _very_ long hallway they had encountered during their wanderings. They were not pleased at having to travel back down that hall again, but they would have to if they wanted to descend to the next floor.

And so they did.

**B6F**

They were nonchalantly walking through a chamber when a Vileplume entered from the corridor they were heading to. Ezra opened with Ember, and the Vileplume retaliated with Stun Spore, paralyzing her and Carys, who was standing next to her. Unable to move, all they could do was tank the Mega Drains the Vileplume was sending their way.

Finally, they could move again. They surprised the Vileplume with a Flame-Ball combo, and that was the end of that.

**B7F**

"We have Stairs with us! Life is good!" Beamed Carys, doing a backflip in midair.

**B8F**

"Two for two! Can we get three for three?" Cheered Carys.

**B9F**

They did not get three floors of Stairs. They did, however, get a Nuzleaf and Venonat in their spawn chamber. Sighing, the duo got to battling. Ezra took on the Nuzleaf while Carys dueled with the Venonat.

The Nuzleaf opened with Leaf Blade, the leaf on its head glowing green and extending to about two feet long. It then brought this enlarged leaf down on Ezra, who got the air knocked out of her lungs. She grimaced, gasping for breath. The blow didn't hurt too bad, but it was annoying all the same.

"My turn." She wheezed as she beat it in the face with Flame Burst. Following up, she threw an Ember at it, and that was the end of the Nuzleaf.

Turning to see how Carys was doing, she saw her friend finish her own fight with a Shadow Ball at point-blank range. The Venonat stood no chance.

**B10F**

As they entered a chamber, they spotted a pair of peculiar-looking goggles.

"Hey! Goggle Specs!" Exclaimed Carys, going over to pick them up.

"What do they do?" Inquired Ezra.

"They let you see traps, invisible Pokemon, and even where the Stairs to the Secret Bazaar are." Carys explained.

"Neat. I wanna try them on." Ezra briefly took off her Trap Scarf and put on the Goggle Specs. But instead of letting her see invisible things, the goggles started making noise, loud enough to draw the attention of any enemy Pokemon that were nearby.

Startled, Ezra threw the specs off of her face and far away. Upon being released, the specs immediately stopped making such a racket. She turned to Carys, her face demanding an explanation.

"...G**a**ggle Specs. Lookalike item. Draws attention to the wearer, making them more likely to be hit." The Pumpkaboo explained sheepishly.

Ezra only sighed, and continued walking.

**B11F**

They entered a chamber as big as ¼ of as Wailord. Inside this chamber lay a Parasect and sleeping Dustox. The Dustox was right next to them, so there was no way of sneaking past it. Instead, the duo took it out immediately with a combination of Flame Burst and Shadow Ball. The surprised foe never even knew what hit it.

The Parasect hit Carys, who was closer, with Spore, sending the Pumpkaboo into dreamland. Her partner temporarily down for the count, Ezra avenged her friend with Ember, managing to burn the foe's back. Chittering angrily, the Parasect first used Slash on her, then Fury Cutter. Ezra endured these moves without a word. After all, she wasn't overly hurt by any of them.

One Flame Burst later, she was victorious. The Parasect dropped a Gorgeous-looking Box, and she inspected it while she waited for Carys to wake up.

The box was elegantly-designed, painted cream with royal purple lace decorating the edges. She wondered what was in it.

She heard Carys stir beside her, and she tucked the box away.

**B12F**

Ezra was having a tough time fighting an Ariados in a hall. The thing had caught her in String Shot, fastening her to the adjacent wall and making her extremely sluggish as she tried in vain to free herself from the sticky strands. The Ariados hit her once more with Shadow Sneak, and in anger, she tilted her head down and amped up the heat in her flame, burning away the String Shot and finally freeing herself.

She mercilessly hit it with Flame Burst, and a Shadow Ball from Carys ensured that the Ariados would never bother them again.

Some strands of the String Shot still clung to her feet, making walking a slow process, but eventually the remnants fell off, letting her move freely once more.

**B13F**

"If only I had some pears." Sighed Carys.

"Why?" Asked Ezra.

"So I can give a pair of pears to the Stairs!"

Ezra groaned.

**B14F**

A few minutes into their trek on this floor, Ezra's belly started rumbling. As it so happened, there was an apple sitting in the middle of the chamber. She started heading towards it, but as luck would have it, a Venomoth spawned between her and the precious apple.

"Move. Or else." She threatened it. It did not.

So, she shot a volley of Flame Burst at it, but the foe flew out of the way. It then shot a purple and pink beam at her. She was too slow to dodge, and so she was knocked off her feet by the Signal Beam. Her vision grew blurry, and her head started to spin. Drat. She was confused. She tottered around, trying to make heads or tails of her surroundings. She saw something purple, and she attempted to hit it with Hex.

Eventually, her vision returned to normal, and she saw Carys be hit with Signal Beam. With a shout, she surprisingly defeated the Venomoth with Flame Burst. Huh. Carys must've damaged it while she was confused; it took two super-effective moves to take down the foes in this place.

The Venomoth dropped a Cute little Box, and Carys picked it up as Ezra went to eat the apple she had fought so hard for.

**B15F**

While wandering through the halls, the duo came across a Sealed Chamber. Ezra went through the walls, but scowled when she saw that the item—it appeared to be a bag of purple dust—was also completely surrounded in water. She returned to Carys on the other side of the wall.

"It's surrounded in water. You can float above water; can you get it?" She sighed.

"No prob. Back in a jiffy!" winked Carys as she vanished into the chamber.

"Does anyone say the word 'jiffy' anymore?" Ezra asked aloud rhetorically.

Carys returned a few seconds later, holding the bag of purple dust.

"Shady Dust! It's for ghost-types. All it does is boost our special attack and special defense. Pretty neat and pretty rare, but nothing to boast about, really." Shrugged Carys.

"Ah. Maybe Hoopa will want it." Ezra nodded.

"Or, we can try to find another Shady Dust and two Purple Silks. That way, we can first trade for a Shadow Gem, which boosts our speed during fog, then we can get the ultra-rare Nether Globe, which nullifies all damage from other ghost-types." Explained Carys.

Ezra whistled. "Wow, I would love to get a Nether Globe. Would make fighting Formora a whole lot easier."

"Or we could have her cut herself again until she passes out from blood loss." Mused Carys.

Ezra shuddered. The memory of that twisted Froslass willfully hurting herself still haunted her dreams. She did not like blood. The thought of someone's life essence spilling out of them...

She was starting to feel woozy just thinking about it. She forced the thought out of her head.

"Let's keep the Shady Dust. Maybe we'll get lucky and be able to obtain a Nether Globe."

**B16F**

There was a Beedrill and Beautifly blocking their way in a particularly long hall. The Beedrill was up first, and it dove at her face.

She was unable to avoid the Poison Jab that hit her square in the gut. She doubled over, breathing hard. Thankfully, she hadn't been poisoned by the attack.

She looked up warily at the foe, and surprised it with Flame Burst. Carys used Confuse Ray from the wall, and all Ezra had to do was Ember it and it was down. The Beautifly stepped up, and was immediately nailed by Carys' Trick-or-Treat.

Not seeming to mind, the Beautifly blew a kiss at Ezra, who suddenly saw how..._handsome_ the other Pokemon looked.

"Say...you're kinda cute." She said, little pink hearts surrounding her beau.

"Focus, Ez!" Complained Carys as she almost hit the Beautifly with Shadow Ball. It dodged, and began using Giga Drain on Ezra, who didn't mind at all.

"Are you free tonight?" Ezra inquired as her energy was drained.

The Beautifly had no time to respond before it was defeated by a quick succession of Shadow Ball, then Razor Leaf from Carys.

Immediately, Ezra's head was cleared of mushy thoughts.

"...Attract?" She asked.

"Attract." Carys confirmed.

"I hate it when that happens." Sighed Ezra.

**B17F**

They spawned in with a Mothim. Immediately, the Moth Pokemon used Silver Wind, bruising Ezra but severely damaging Carys. Ezra threw a Flame Burst at it in annoyance, but it dodged and threw a Psybeam at her in return. Ezra grunted as she was hit by the attack, and the Mothim used Silver Wind once more. This time, the attack boosted all of its stats, and it used the move again, making Carys faint.

"Would you _quit_?!" She screamed after she had been revived. She turned the Mothim into a ghost-type with Trick-or-Treat, then together she and Ezra defeated it with a combo of Shadow Ball and Night Shade.

"Hmph. Jerk." Carys glowered, eating the leftover candy.

**B18F**

As they were wandering along the edge of a chamber, they discovered the entrance to the Secret Bazaar. Since it was a free trip to the next floor, they decided to go in.

**Secret Bazaar**

"Welcome to the Secret Bazaar!" Beamed Kirlia as they entered.

"You want anything?" Ezra asked.

"I'll try the grab bags again." Carys said as she went up to Swalot's store. She bought two wonderful, amazing grab bags, and each turned out to have an Oran Berry in them.

"Eh. It was worth a shot." Carys said, shrugging when she got back to Ezra.

With nothing else to do, they descended to the next floor.

**B19F**

They encountered a Shiftry while wandering down a hall. It was still a few yards away, but it waved its arms wildly, sending out its own Razor Leaf straight at Ezra. Not missing a beat, she countered the attack with Flame Burst, burning the leaves to a crisp as the attack rained down on the Shiftry. As it stalked towards her, Carys kept hitting it with Gravelrocks. By the time it was within normal attacking range, it only took a regular attack from Ezra to defeat it.

**B20F**

"Woo! We have Stairs!" Laughed Carys.

**Dubious Ravine**

They came to the end of the dungeon. The area was still dark and dim, but they could see a small puddle of water in the center of the ravine. A faint glow was emanating from the hole. Looking down into the puddle, they saw something gray in the water. Carys fished it out—Ezra did not feel like going swimming—and lay it on the shore.

The item was definitely the Air Blade. For one, it was a sword. It had a flat, gray, angled blade about four feet long. The hilt was light pink, and was best described as looking almost like a barnacle. Between the hilt and the blade were three claw-like features that extended about a third of the way past the hilt. A long purple line ran down halfway along the blade itself. The entire sword glowed with otherworldly power.

"Whoa..." Ezra and Carys said in unison.

Ezra tried to lift the sword, and was astonished to find that it wasn't as heavy as she had thought it'd be. Granted, even with the unexpected lightness, she could only hold the Air Blade for a few seconds.

"Bag..." She grunted, trying to hold onto the sword long enough until she could put it in the bag.

Carys opened up their bag, and Ezra gratefully dropped the item in. She could never get over how strange it felt to watch a giant item disappear into the hammerspace storage of their bag. That bag should have been ripped to shreds by that sword, and yet Ezra found she couldn't even feel the edge of the blade when she put it on.

"Well, that takes care of that. ...If we're to get home by dinnertime, we should go now." Ezra said, squinting up at the sky. From the little she could see of the sky, it was about early afternoon.

"Good thinking. I could really use a nice hot meal after this." Carys sighed in bliss.

* * *

**Lily Town**

The whole town broke into a cheer when they saw Team Banshee return. The duo were instantly surrounded by the townsfolk, all demanding to see the Air Blade. Ezra held the giant item above her head, and there was a collective whistle of admiration from the spectators. It was about six thirty in the evening, and Ezra was thoroughly ready for a nice hot meal and a chance to sit down. Her feet were aching from the nine hours of being of walking.

Thankfully, Victini saw their looks of exhaustion.

"Okay, people. Let them rest. They've been on their feet for hours; give them a chance to sit down and eat some food!" She barked.

Victini's voice held no mystical powers in itself, but it was just one of those voices you obeyed instantly without thought. The town dispersed, and Team Banshee thanked her before heading home for dinner.

The duo found that Franziska, in celebration of this find, has whipped up a feast. There was fish, salad, macaroni and cheese, pasta, soup, and even pizza! For dessert, there were four different types of cake, three puddings, five types of cookies, and brownies. Victini invited Hoopa to join them, and all of the residents agreed that this was the best meal they'd ever had in their life. No one was able to get up from their seats at the table for a solid hour, they were that full.

Eventually, everyone congregated to the commons room, where they spent the entire evening playing charades.

* * *

As she had promised, Cresselia did indeed contact them while they were asleep. This time, the Lunar Wind was with them. The trio looked better than the last time Team Banshee had seen them, although Umbra's arm was still in a cast. Cresselia had turned the background into what appeared to be the lair of some large Pokemon. The walls were made of black brick, with a maroon dirt floor and a giant skylight in the ceiling that showed the night sky. Ezra tried to pick out constellations, but there were too many stars and galaxies. She found her eye wandering, unable to focus on one sight for very long before she was drawn to the next.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Said Cresselia, watching her. "Space is the last frontier, one that very few Pokemon are able to explore. It is only natural that Palkia reside here, where the stars are the brightest and the rest of the universe is most visible."

"Palkia lives here?" Ezra asked, looking at the legendary. Her neck was sore from gazing up for so long.

"Yes. This is the end of Astral Rift, which is 25 floors long. You have the Air Blade, I assume?" Cresselia nodded.

Ezra nodded as well.

"Excellent. Let us discuss your plan for attack." Suddenly, a large white-and-purple Pokemon appeared beside them, making the five jump. It was bipedal, with a long tail and a pink pearl embedded in each shoulder.

"This is Palkia, Lord of Space. Due to Giratina's sabotage, space is grossly distorted. As Palkia is directly connected to the fabric of space, he has felt the impact of the spacial distortions more than any other Pokemon. He detected the tears in the fabric of space too late, and now he has gone mad. But, now that you have the Air Blade, you can return his mind back to normal." Cresselia explained, gazing up at the large Pokemon.

"How does the Air Blade do that?" Asked Ezra, staring up at the Palkia illusion. He looked so...intimidating.

The special items of the Creation Trio are imbued with unique powers. These powers grant the wearer great mental calm as well as unfathomable power. When you put the Air Blade on Palkia, he will be unbeatable...but the storm in his mind should quell. With Palkia sane enough to begin fixing the spacial distortions, that will weaken Giratina's ultimate plan of tearing—for lack of a better word—the world apart." The lunar Pokemon explained.

"What does the Air Blade do? And how do we defeat such a formidable Pokemon?" Asked Carys.

"The Air Blade strengthens all of Palkia's attacks by 1.5. As for fighting him, all we need is Luna's Perish Song and a few Reviver Seeds." Cresselia smiled.

"That's it?" Ezra asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. It couldn't be that easy.

"Perish Song is powerful enough to defeat any normal Pokemon. With a Pokemon like Palkia, it'll take me a few tries before the effects take place. Selene can pin him down with Attract, and Umbra can prevent him from using our items against us with Embargo." Luna explained.

"That still sounds too easy." Ezra shook her head.

"Well, while Luna's busy singing her life away, the rest of us will be dodging attack after attack. He is stronger than you can imagine. A maddened legendary is dangerous, as he will hold no sense of empathy. He won't be thinking clearly, and if he thinks destroying us will make his head stop hurting...well, we'll need all the help we can get." Selene shuddered.

"If you two can inflict him with as many status moves as you can, that'd help a bunch." Umbra said. He nodded at his cast, where Formora broke his arm not too long ago. "My arm's still busted, so I can't actively fight...but I can still throw seeds and Iron Thorns. Luckily for us, I'm ambidextrous."

"Palkia's a water/dragon-type...so Ezra, stay away from your fire-type moves unless your goal is to burn him, and I'll have to avoid using my water-type moves." Said Selene.

"Sure." Nodded Ezra.

"I think we got it. Any questions?" Asked Cresselia. There were none. "Alright. Bring _lots_ of Reviver Seeds and other status-inflicting items. Astral Rift does not have apples, so be sure to bring your own. I'll contact you all tomorrow night. I'll most likely have the location of the Time Shield by then. Good luck, you five."

And with that, the dream meeting ended.

* * *

**It's a bit late in the story for me to have all dungeons have boxes spawn now. I wasn't initially going to have boxes appear, but now I've decided I'm going to include them in ****certain**** dungeons, like Dubious Woods. How else will the characters find the exclusive items they've been hearing about?**

**I think I'm going to split Astral Rift and the battle with Palkia into two posts, seeing as how a battle with one of the Creation Trio is not just your average boss fight. I think a boss fight with a Creation Trio member deserves...special attention, wouldn't you say?**

**Also, I know that Perish Song makes **_**all**_** targets faint after three turns, but...a Mismagius defeating **_**Palkia**_** just like that? Too much power, and that would make for a very anticlimactic fight against a major legendary. So, I've decided to tone down Perish Song for this fight. I'm sure you guys understand. **

**The next post shall contain: the Lunar Wind, an Astral Rift, and an Astral Ridge.**


	64. Chapter 64

The next morning, Ezra and Carys began the arduous process of deciding what they would and wouldn't bring with them to Astral Rift. It was when they were sorting out yesterday's findings that they remembered the three Boxes.

"What do we do with these?" Asked Ezra, holding up the Glittery Box.

"I'd forgotten we had those. Uh...I dunno. Maybe Sora might know?" Suggested Carys.

The duo entered Sora's Library, where they found him teaching Wanda how to tell whether or not a document was a forgery.

"Hello, Wanda. Hello, Sora. Are we interrupting?" Greeted Ezra.

"Not at all. How may I be of service?" Sora inquired, formal as ever.

"Hello Team Banshee." Wanda nodded at them.

Ezra held out the Glittery Box she was holding.

"We found this in a dungeon, but we don't know how to open it. Do you know how?" She asked.

Sora took one look at the Box, and smiled faintly.

"Yes, I do know how such Boxes may be opened. I am astounded you two did not know before, but I seem to be the go-to Pokemon for Boxes such as these. Opening this Box will not be a problem." He responded.

Ezra and Carys cheered, then eagerly handed the Glittery Box, the Cute Box, and the Gorgeous Box to the Reuniclus.

"My fee is 150 Poke per Box." He spoke mildly.

"What?" Demanded Ezra.

"I have to obtain currency _somehow_." Sora shrugged.

"...I guess that's fair. Let's see...That will make the total 450 Poke, and we have...749. Alright, here you are." Carys handed the money to Sora, and Team Banshee and Wanda watched curiously as Sora took each Box in his hands, and prised them open with his Psychic. Inside the Glittery Box was a Heal Seed, inside the Cute Box was a Pink Gummi, and inside the Gorgeous Box was a picture of a Floatzel, a Float Card.

"Here you are." Sora handed the three items to Team Banshee.

"Thank you so much!" They chorused.

"'Twas not a problem. Come back any time you have a Box that needs to be opened. Have a successful pilgrimage to Palkia's dungeon." Sora nodded as the duo exited the library.

Ezra ate the Pink Gummi, wincing at the spoiled-milk taste. They sold the Heal Seed for 25 Poke, and the Float Card for 125 Poke. They didn't know any Floatzels, so they had no need of it.

With the Boxes out of the way, the duo resumed picking out the items they would bring to Astral Rift. It took 15 minutes for them to make their final choice, and with everything out of the way, they could finally trek to Palkia's lair.

The entire town saw them off, with lots of cheers and well-wishing. Ezra and Carys started off feeling confident, but once they were away from the fanfare, the doubts started to settle in. What were they getting themselves into? Could they actually defeat Palkia? What if they couldn't?

The journey quickly turned into a horrible one.

* * *

**Astral Rift ( watch?v=lUY7B6aHTco)**

After many grueling, torturous hours, Ezra and Carys made it to the base of Astral Rift. A light rain had started to pick up, making them feel more miserable. Team Lunar Wind was waiting for them at the entrance.

"Well met, Team Banshee!" Laughed Umbra, shaking Ezra's hand with his good arm.

"Pleasant day for a pleasant task." Grumbled Ezra.

"Indeed." Sighed Luna. Then she grew more serious. "We brought eight Reviver Seeds. We don't really use them, so we don't have that many...We also brought ten Oran Berries, three X-Eye Seeds, five Sleep Seeds, three Stun Seeds, three Blast Seeds, and four apples." She reported.

"We've brought eight Reviver Seeds as well, along with 75 Gravelrocks, 42 Iron Thorns, five apples, five Oran Berries, three X-Eye Seeds, and of course, the Air Blade." Responded Carys.

"Sixteen Reviver Seeds, fifteen Oran Berries, 75 Gravelrocks, 42 Iron Thorns, six X-Eye Seeds, five Sleep Seeds, three Stun Seeds, three Blast Seeds, and nine apples. Yes, that should be adequate enough to defeat Palkia. Good work." Calculated Selene.

The five paused to look up at the tower. It was cylindrical, and completely flawless on the outside. There were no windows, no turrets, nothing. It was just a cylinder with a door. It was made of black brick, just like last night's dream. All in all, it was a pretty ominous place.

Without warning, they heard a distant shriek. No, it was more like a roar. It seemed to be coming from the top of the tower...

"Is that...?" Gulped Ezra.

"Palkia." Luna confirmed grimly. "You all ready?"

"As we'll ever be." Sighed Ezra.

"Alright. Let's do this thing." Luna nodded as her team entered the dungeon.

Ezra and Carys waited a few minutes for the dungeon to reset itself, then they, too, entered the Astral Rift.

**1F**

The inside of the dungeon was much different than the vision Cresselia had shown them in last night's dream. The floor was made of bricks the color of dried blood, and the walls were smooth white limestone. There was a sinister atmosphere, giving Ezra the chills and causing her to shudder violently.

"You okay?" Asked Carys, who was scanning the area.

"Y-yeah...Something about this place just makes me uneasy." Ezra nodded, trying to sound braver than she felt.

"I hear ya. This place is creepy. And...it almost feels like we're in another world." Carys frowned.

"Right? The air is different, somehow." Another shudder overcame Ezra. "...Come on. If I keep standing here, I'm going to go crazy. Besides, we have a crazy legendary waiting for us at the top."

Bracing themselves for an unpleasant day, the duo each took a deep breath, then began the painstaking journey through the Astral Rift.

**2F**

As they were walking through a chamber, they came across a Raticate. The vicious Pokemon snarled when it spotted them, and immediately came bounding across the room to fight them. Ezra threw a Flame Burst at it, but it neatly jumped out of the way and came slamming into her with Double-Edge. Although the attack was severely weakened, it was still powerful enough to make Ezra double over, gasping for breath.

Carys got its attention when she hit it with Razor Leaf, and the Raticate slammed a paw down on her head. The Assurance dashed her to the floor, where she lay there for a second, head spinning.

Meanwhile, Ezra had recovered, and deftly nailed the Raticate with Flame Burst just as it was about to use Assurance on Carys once more. As the foe turned to deal with her, Carys defeated it once and for all with a surprise Razor Leaf attack.

"Well...that wasn't too bad." Panted Carys, getting up.

"Still wasn't fun. Let's be careful in this place, okay? I'd hate to have to waste Reviver Seeds on dungeon Pokemon." Ezra cautioned.

"Good idea. Shall we continue?" Asked Carys.

"Let's."

**3F**

"Easy floooooooooooooorrrrrrrrr!" Shouted Carys, racing to the Stairs.

Ezra only sighed, and followed.

**4F**

There was a Nidoking and Yanmega, respectively, blocking their way in a hall. This time, Ezra dove into the wall, while Carys stayed in the dungeon proper. Nidoking was part ground-type. She did not want to fall victim to a ground-type attack and waste a Reviver Seed. Instead, she went to deal with the waiting Yanmega.

It did not see her in the wall, so she was able to surprise it with a successful Flame Burst. Completely startled, it looked around wildly for the source of the attack until its eyes came to rest upon where she was. She knew she was visible; she was phased-out, not invisible, so the Yanmega was perfectly capable of spotting her outline in the wall.

She launched another Flame Burst at it, but the foe had caught on, and swiftly dodged the attack. It couldn't attack back—not unless it had a Gravelrock—but it could dodge. And dodge it did. Ezra kept aiming her Flame Bursts at the same spot, so as to lure the Yanmega into a false sense of security.

Eventually, instead of aiming where the Yanmega was, she aimed at where it _would_ be. The Yanmega fell for the trap, and fell in a flaming heap.

With the second foe taken care of, she turned back to Carys. The Pumpkaboo had dove into the wall as well, and the Nidoking's back was turned to Ezra.

Sneakily, she blasted it with Hex, then Carys ended it with Razor Leaf.

The duo returned to the actual hall.

"Thanks for that." Panted Carys, looking like she needed an Oran Berry. "I took a few Poison Stings. Miraculously, I wasn't poisoned! But they still hurt."

"No prob. Oran Berry?" Offered Ezra.

"No. I'll walk it off. Save 'em for Palkia." Carys shook her head.

Ezra wasn't so sure that was a good idea, but she kept her mouth shut.

**5F**

They entered a chamber when Ezra spotted a large, bumpy yellow seed lying on the floor. It was easy to spot, what with the bright color against the always-pleasant shade of dried blood.

"What's that?" Ezra pointed to the seed.

"Hm? That? Oh, it's a Life Seed. It raises your max health a little, and also refills your belly a bit." Carys explained.

"Would you like it?" Ezra offered the seed to Carys, a joke instantly coming to mind.

"Oh, that's very nice of you! Sure." Beamed Carys.

"No problem. Get a Life...Seed." Ezra said hastily, after witnessing Carys' murderous look at the horrible pun.

Ezra had to dodge Carys' Shadow Ball, right after the latter ate the Life Seed.

**6F**

"I need to start going to the store for Stairs, stat." Stated Carys.

**7F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

They spawned in with an Umbreon and Clefable. It was also quite sunny, making Ezra's flame swell with power. Enjoying the heat from the sun, Ezra defeated the Umbreon, which was closer, in one powered-up, critically-hit Flame Burst, leaving only the Clefable.

She laughed as it tried to save itself with Metronome. The move turned out to be Flamethrower, and the foe turned to aim at Carys, who was a better target.

Ezra had no intention of letting her friend be hit by the blast, so she jumped in front of Carys a few seconds before the Flamethrower struck.

Now, she was powered-up even _more,_ thanks to her Flash Fire. Her flame rose almost to the ceiling.

She grinned, and the Clefable was obliterated by the fury from her Flame Burst.

"Uh...could you tone it down a bit, Miss Fire Hazard?" Carys squeaked.

"Haha, sorry." Giggled Ezra as she decreased her flame to about three feet tall.

"Still scary, but better." Carys said, looking warily at the flame.

**8F**

This time, there was a Honchkrow with them in their spawn chamber. Ezra took a Wing Attack to the face, and in response she made her flame rise higher, burning the Honchkrow's wing. Now it was unable to fly, as the pain from flapping its wing would be too much to handle.

It tried to save itself with Swagger, but Ezra looked away when she saw the beginning of the attack occur. She was not confused.

She turned back, and casually hit the foe with Flame Burst. Carys landed a Confuse Ray on it, and then it was just a matter of a Flame Burst and two Razor Leaves to defeat it.

Life was nice when you could prevent a dark-type bird Pokemon from flying.

**9F**

"Aaaaaaannnnnnddd we have Stairs! Ooh, and a change of scenery." Said Carys.

Indeed, the walls were now a dusky gray stone pockmarked with shallow craters. The floor color had changed from dried blood to maroon. It still was not a pleasant place to stick around, so the duo quickly ascended.

**10F**

A Shadow Ball out of nowhere surprised them as they were walking down a hall. Ezra was hit, but picked herself back after a moment. The duo scanned the walls, searching for the wayward ghost-type. There! To their left was a Shedinja.

They looked at each other in boredom, then tossed a Gravelrock at it.

They didn't have to worry about the Shedinja anymore.

**11F**

The duo were in luck. They found a Stairs Orb in their spawn chamber.

**12F**

They came across a brown seed that was shaped like an eye.

"Ooh, an Eyedrop Seed! They make you able to see invisible Pokemon, and Traps. Even Secret Rooms" Explained Carys.

"Secret Rooms?" Asked Ezra.

"Yeah, they function kinda like Secret Bazaars. You know, find the hidden staircase. Anyone, Secret Rooms are rumored to have lots of treasure in them!" Carys said.

"I'd like to see!" Ezra said eagerly as she ate the seed.

Her eye watered, and when she blinked, she could now see that there was a Grimy Trap over by the exit. But no hidden staircase.

"Nothing here but a Grimy Trap." She reported, eating an apple. She hadn't realized until she ate the seed how hungry she was getting.

She could not find a single hidden staircase for the rest of the floor, much to her disappointment.

**13F**

In a chamber, there was a Crobat. Upon hearing them enter, it immediately began heading for them. It caught the Gravelrock Ezra threw at it, and bit her with Poisoned Fangs.

She felt poison course through her. She scowled, and retaliated with Flame Burst just as the Crobat released her.

It screeched, diving at her face with Acrobatics. She barely manged to duck, and instead the Crobat came crashing into the wall.

"I've been poisoned." Ezra said to Carys as the two ended the foe with a Night-Ball combo.

"That's not good! Let's see if we can find a Heal Seed or Pecha Berry." Fretted Carys.

They searched the entire floor, but there was no remedy to be found. Ezra had grown sicker and sicker, and now she was seriously considering eating an Oran Berry to restore her health.

"Oh! There are the Stairs!" Carys said in a hall, dragging a near-unconscious Ezra to the chamber with the precious Stairs.

—**Waypoint—**

They had finally made it to the waypoint, which looked exactly the same as the latter part of the dungeon, only with a Kangaskhan Rock and the Lunar Wind waiting for them.

Somehow, the Lunar Wind still looked the same as they had at the entrance. Did they not get tired?

"There you two are! Enjoying the dungeon?" Grinned Luna.

Ezra didn't respond, only flopped down on the floor.

"It's...something." Carys answered.

Team Lunar Wind laughed.

"It certainly is! But, we're halfway done. Milady said it was 25 floors, yes? So, we have only twelve to go." Umbra said.

"Doesn't it feel as if we're in another world?" Asked Selene.

"Yeah. Yeah, it does." Ezra said. Now that the Lumineon had mentioned it, the place felt...different. Like they were in a spaceship in the middle of outer space. The air felt pressurized, artificial.

"Well, Palkia _is_ lord of space. It'd make sense that his home seem like it's in another dimension." Luna said to Selene.

"Question." Said Ezra from the floor. "What's Palkia's Ability?"

"His Ability? It's Pressure, just like mine." Explained Umbra. Seeing their confused looks, he continued, "I generate an unpleasant environment that only affects enemies. Allies do not feel this effect. This environment makes it harder for foes to attack. They have to expend more energy just to do one attack. They expend enough energy for two attacks, when they're only using one. Palkia will generate this same effect on all five of us. It'll be nasty, but luckily, he'll be feeling the same, thanks to me."

"Oh, and Ezra," Selene began, "while we're speaking of Abilities, don't worry about any water-type attacks Palkia might use. My own Ability, Storm Drain, draws all water-type moves to me, and renders them useless. If Palkia tries to use a water-type move on you, he'll automatically turn for me instead, and I won't be hurt at all. So you're perfectly safe from that."

"Really? That's awesome!" Grinned Ezra. That would be a huge load off her mind.

"I only have Levitate, which me immune to ground-type moves. I won't be needing it for this fight." Mused Luna.

"You'll be the main event, Lune. You're the key to our success." Umbra put a hand on her shoulder.

Luna tossed him a grin.

Another roar from above shook the tower, unbalancing all of the land-bound Pokemon. The roar was much louder than before, but still sounded distant.

"That'll be Palkia again. We should get moving." Said Luna, serious once more.

"Right." Ezra and Carys nodded.

"Ladies first." Umbra said, beckoning them to go first this time.

With not a little trepidation, the duo once more began the trek up the tower.

**Astral Ridge ( watch?v=ITRGkMHt-yE)**

**1F**

This time, the area looked exactly like Cresselia's dream. The walls were made of black brick, and the floor was the same shade of maroon.

They had no time to admire the scenery, because there was a Magnezone with them. It Screeched loudly, severely lowering their defense.

"Shut up!" Ordered Ezra, hitting it with Flame Burst.

It snarled, and charged up a bright white beam with silver edges. It then threw this Flash Cannon at Ezra, who barely managed to dive out of the way. The beam nicked her feet, making her wince.

She grunted as she landed, putting weight on her bruised feet.

"You're going to pay for that." She said as she and Carys ended it with a Flame-Leaf combo.

With the foe out of the way, the duo began the journey through the last half of the dungeon.

**2F**

"Come here often?" Asked Carys to the Stairs. It did not answer. It was always here. It was too embarrassed to say so, for fear of looking desperate.

**3F**

They came across an odd pair of glasses in a chamber. The glasses were small and white, with the lenses tinted yellow.

"Alert Specs." Said Carys when Ezra turned to her. "They prevent your held item from being taken."

Ezra started to nod, but then something came to her.

"You can only hold one item at a time, right?" She said slowly. Carys nodded.

"...And this prevents your held item from being taken?"

"That's what I just said." Carys said.

"...So this prevents the Alert Specs from being taken away from you?" Ezra asked.

Carys thought, and burst out laughing.

"I never realized that! Oh, Original One, that is hilarious! What's the point of them even existing?!" She guffawed.

The duo had a merry laugh for the rest of the floor.

**4F**

They were wandering down a chamber when Carys suddenly got an uneasy feeling right before they were about to enter a chamber.

"I don't think we should go in there." The Pumpkaboo said nervously, pausing a few yards away from the chamber.

"Why not?" Ezra paused, looking back. "It looks fine to me."

"Something tells me we're about to enter a Monster House." Carys reported.

"What makes you say that?"

"I dunno. Just...just a gut feeling."

Ezra laughed. "My gut's telling me all is fine! Watch, I'll prove it to you."

The second she stepped into that chamber, she screamed.

Two Raticates, a Crobat, three Banettes, two Nidokings, a Clefable, and three Yanmegas had fallen from the ceiling. Carys had been right to trust her instincts.

Ezra and Carys immediately dove into the walls to protect themselves from the horde. While this was happening, Ezra was screaming, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" to Carys, who shouted back, "It's fine! It's fine!"

The three Banettes followed them into the walls, each narrowly dodging a Hex and Shadow Ball.

One Banette caught Carys' double Shadow Ball, but the latter was struck by a second Banette's Shadow Sneak, only to fall to Ezra's Hex, followed up by Night Shade. The last Banette dodged Carys' Confuse Ray, then opened its zippered mouth to spit four purple balls of fire at her.

The Will-O-Wisp circled around Carys once before all four flames rushed her at once. The Pumpkaboo was instantly burned.

"Time to pay." Ezra informed it as she defeated it with a critically-hit Hex. She then turned to Carys, now that the immediate threat was gone.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah...I'm fine. I can tough it out till the next floor." Winced Carys. The burn was the left side of her torso.

"You sure?" Fretted Ezra. Carys nodded stoically.

"I'm sure. Come on, the sooner we find the Stairs, the sooner I feel better."

As it turned out, the Stairs were in the next chamber.

**5F**

They found a Kecleon shop as they were walking through the halls. It was a good thing, too, as this floor was a labyrinth. There were a bunch of small chambers on the outer edge of the floor. The inner part of the floor was nothing but a maze of hallways. Seeing a potential way out of this Arceusforsaken floor was a blessing.

"G'day, ladies." The shopkeeper greeted.

"Hello. Do you have any Luminous Orbs, or Stairs Orbs?" Asked Ezra, seeing as this shopkeeper only sold Orbs.

"Yep, jus' one Luminous Orb. 150 Poke." The Kecleon nodded, rummaging around for a second before pulling out the orb.

"Perfect. We'll take it." Ezra nodded, exchanging money for orb.

"Pleasure doin' business with ya." The Kecleon nodded as they left.

Immediately, they used it. Upon breaking, the Luminous Orb shone as bright as a Flash. When the glare ended, Ezra had a mental map of the entire floor.

**6F**

**Weather Condition: Fog**

A think fog had settled in the dungeon. It was sort of hard to see, but they could still make out where the exits and enemies were. A Banette had spawned in with them as well.

The Banette threw golden chains at them, which settled on their bag, preventing it from being opened.

"I do not approve of this Embargo!" Yelled Ezra, tossing a Hex at it. It dodged out of the way, and threw a Shadow Ball at her, which sent her back a few feet.

Carys punished it with her own Shadow Ball, and the foe retaliated with a Sucker Punch that had Carys seeing stars.

Ezra surprised the foe with Night Shade, and that was the end of the Banette.

The Banette's Embargo dissipated shortly after the fight ended.

**7F**

"Steers! Wait..." Paused Carys just as she was about to ascend the Stairs.

**8F**

There were an Umbreon and Yanmega in the hall, respectively. Carys bravely volunteered to tangle with the Umbreon if Ezra would get the Yanmega. She agreed, and dove into the wall to fight the bug/flying-type.

Much like before, she landed the first hit with a surprise attack consisting of Flame Burst. The Yanmega looked wildly around the hall before seeing Ezra in the wall. It tried to use Ancient Power on her, but chittered angrily when it found it could not touch her while she was in the wall.

She used Flame Burst once more, but the Yanmega dodged. The attack spread to hit the Umbreon as well, and the Moonlight Pokemon turned to see what was hitting it. Carys took advantage, and defeated it with Razor Leaf. She must have landed a hit on it before. She looked perfectly fine, which was strange, considering she had been fighting a dark-type.

"It's only offensive move was Last Resort." She explained, laughing as she took down the Yanmega with Shadow Ball.

**9F**

**Weather Condition: Hail**

Much to their consternation, it began hailing upon spawning. At least there was another Eyedrop Seed in the room. Maybe they could quickly find a hidden staircase and get out of the blasted hail.

But when Ezra ate the seed, everything went black. She couldn't see beyond a few feet!

"I can't see!" She screamed.

"Ugh, you ate a Dropeye Seed. Another lookalike item. Don't worry, it'll wear off in a moment." Carys' voice came from behind Ezra.

After a few minutes, Ezra's vision cleared once more, much to her delight.

With that over, they ran through the dungeon, eager to get out of the stinging hail.

**10F**

They had just entered a chamber when a Raticate came barreling into Ezra with Double-Edge, knocking her straight into Carys and causing both of them to fall in a heap. They untangled themselves quickly, and knocked the Raticate back with a combo of Razor Leaf and Flame Burst.

Then the Raticate did something strange. Instead of getting back up to fight, it actually turned around and _ran away_ from them. This was the very first dungeon Pokemon they had encountered that had actually abandoned the fight.

"What...?" Marveled Ezra, too shocked for words.

"Run Away." Replied Carys. "Raticate's Ability. When its health goes below the halfway mark, it turns and flees."

"Oh. Why can't all dungeon Pokemon have that Ability? It would certainly make fighting more easier." Commented Ezra.

**11F**

"Penultimate floor, with the penultimate Stairs." Grinned Carys.

**12F**

After a long and arduous trek through the labyrinthine floor, they had finally found the chamber with the Stairs. Only problem was that there was a Crobat and Honchkrow with them as well.

"We've made it to the last floor; we can't give up now!" Ezra said she she threw a Night Shade at the Crobat. It dodged, and furiously struck her over and over again with Acrobatics. The blow seriously hurt, and was even enough to drain half of her health, just like that.

She got unsteadily to her feet, and managed to hit the Bat Pokemon with Hex. Suddenly, the Crobat was surrounded in candy. Ezra looked over, and saw Carys end the attack just she she was slapped with the Honchkrow's Wing Attack.

"Carys!" Ezra cried. She turned back to her foe. It was now weak to ghost-type moves, so it would take only one more attack to defeat it. It seemed to know this, too.

It dove at her with Acrobatics once more, but Ezra was ready, and jumped up, and _onto_ the Crobat's back. It flapped and bucked wildly, trying to dislodge her. But Ezra clung on, determined to defeat this foe so she could help her friend. She released the red waves of energy that made up her Night Shade.

The waves could not be dodged, since she was holding on to her target, and the Crobat fell. Ezra jumped off its back before it crash-landed to the ground, and she landed somewhat gracefully, teetering only for a moment before throwing her Flame Burst at the Honchkrow.

It squawked in surprise, and turned to her, preparing to use Swagger. Before it could do this, Carys defeated it with Razor Leaf.

With all of the foes gone, the duo stared at the Stairs.

"This is it." Ezra said, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"Palkia's on the next floor." Carys said in a far-away voice.

"He'll be our strongest foe yet. But we won't be alone. We'll have the Lunar Wind fighting with us. All we need to do is keep him busy while Luna keeps using Perish Song. Simple." Ezra said, more for herself than for Carys.

"...If we keep waiting, we'll never go forward. Come on, let's go do the unthinkable and defeat Palkia." Carys said.

Together, wordlessly, they ascended.

* * *

**Whew, long chapter! It's worth it, though, because the next post is the fight against Palkia. It's gonna be **_**great**_**!**

**Quick note: apparently there are only 17 Plates, not 18. I could have sworn there was a Plate for the normal-type, but I guess not. Whoops. For the sake of consistency, Arceus has 18 Shards in this world ^^'**

**The next post shall contain: an electric Shard, a **_**very**_** angry legendary, and Murphy's Law.**


	65. Chapter 65

**Astral Rift Peak**

They made it. They had made it to the top of Astral Rift, home of Palkia, lord of space. The peak looked exactly like it had in the dream. Black brick walls, maroon floor, giant skylight that showed the heavens. The only thing that was missing was Palkia himself.

"Ready for battle?" Said a familiar voice. Up ahead were Team Lunar Wind, who were carrying the penultimate Shard.

"I think so. Here, let me take that." Ezra took the Shard from the trio. When she touched it, visions of lightning danced through her mind. The electric Shard.

"Remind me again why this thing is with Palkia?" Asked Luna.

"_He_, upon learning of our doings, moved the last two Shards to Palkia and Dialga's domains, to make it harder for us to succeed." Answered Ezra, putting the Shard away.

"Right, right. Well, we have this one. The last Shard lies with Dialga." Selene nodded.

Something was bothering Ezra. It was awfully quiet...

"Hey," She asked, "where's Palkia? This is his home, right? So where is he?"

As if on cue, a great guttural roar boomed through the chamber, shaking the entire dungeon. Everyone minus Luna and Carys fell to the ground.

"There he is." Said Luna.

"But where?" Demanded Ezra, looking wildly around.

There was a short rumble. Then another.

"What was that...?" Carys asked nervously.

"He's coming." Luna said grimly.

There were two short tremors, as if something large was walking towards them...The tremors continued, getting faster and faster and making the ground tremble harder with each shake. He was close...

Then, right in front of them, a large tear appeared in the middle of the air. It was like someone had unzipped that part of the fabric of space. A big hole leading to...somewhere...faced them. After a moment, a great scream came from within the hole.

"_**GGGGRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!**_"

The force of the roar was powerful enough to blow all five of them off their feet. They landed in front of the exit, almost blown out of the entire dungeon. The five got to their feet just as Lord Palkia entered the chamber from the hole in space.

Cresselia had done a good job of recreating the legendary in the dream meeting, but she hadn't quite captured the pure insanity in Palkia's eyes, nor the aura of _omnipotence_ that radiated from him.

Palkia closed the hole in space and stalked towards them, each step creating a small earthquake. Ezra felt her heart leap into her throat. She had known he would be big, but she didn't realize she hardly came up to Palkia's ankle...

Palkia stopped, looking down upon them with maddened, angry eyes.

"**Intruders...**" He growled, his voice powerful enough to be heard in all dimensions.

He made a fist, then used his other hand to cover the fist. He brought both hands above his head.

"_**INTRUDERS!**_" He screamed, smashing his covered fist down upon the five. They barely managed to dive out of the way.

"It's go time! Ready or not, here he comes!" Shouted Luna.

* * *

**BOSS BATTLE—! ( watch?v=1Sr5cCCDflU)**

The battle went wrong almost immediately.

Selene, Carys, and Ezra leaped into battle while Luna and Umbra hung back. While the fighters caught Palkia's attention with Silver Wind, Shadow Ball, and Hex, Luna began chanting in a foreign language. A white aura pulsed from the Mismagius to envelop the entire room.

"Lucky Chant! We're shielded from critical hits for a few minutes!" Shouted Selene to Ezra and Carys, who were trying to avoid Palkia's sweeping tail as he turned around to face them.

When Palkia faced them, the five were hit by his Pressure. It felt like there was a large boulder on top of Ezra's head. It made her sluggish, unable to respond as quickly or efficiently. She winced as a wave of pain seared through her head.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw golden chains be flung from the lower-left corner and settle over Palkia, where they surrounded him for just a moment before dissipating. She turned, and saw Umbra with outstretched hands. He caught her eye, and nodded briefly. The Embargo was in effect, and so was his own Pressure. ...From the looks of it, Palkia didn't seem to be too affected by it.

This had all happened in the span of fifteen seconds.

Palkia whipped around to face Ezra, his face contorted in fury.

"_**YOU DO NOT BELONG IN THIS WORLD!**_" He screamed. Ezra quailed under his wrath.

Then, Ezra heard the most mournful song she'd ever heard, and she turned to see Luna beginning her Perish Song. Red soundwaves emanated from the Mismagius' mouth and onto Palkia, who howled and covered his ears. The attack was clearly hurting Luna as well, as she was wincing and shuddering in agony, but she bravely kept on singing.

Ezra felt her spirits lift. They were doing it! The plan was in motion, and it seemed to be working. Or was it?

"**QUIET!**" Roared Palkia, stalking over to Luna. He picked the startled Mismagius up, opened up a rip in space, and promptly chucked her through the hole.

"LUNA!" Screamed Selene and Umbra as Palkia closed the hole.

Ezra felt her jaw drop open in horror. Luna was gone. She could be a few feet or even _miles_ away from the dungeon. She could even be in another world...

They had lost the only chance of success they had. They were doomed.

"**RAHHHHHHHHHHH!**" Boomed Palkia, turning to face the remaining four once more. He opened up his mouth, then suddenly turned to face Selene. A second later, he blasted her with Hydro Pump. The Lumineon didn't even seem to notice. She and Umbra were still staring at the spot Luna had disappeared through.

Desperately, Ezra threw a Sleep Seed at the great Pokemon. He ate it unthinkingly, then collapsed to the ground, sound asleep. The tremor that shook the chamber as enough to snap Selene and Umbra out of their disbelief.

"We've failed! We don't have Luna, and we certainly can't defeat him by ourselves!" Wailed Selene.

"Not just yet! We've brought plenty of items, and he can't use them thanks to Umbra! We _have_ to do this!" Ezra exclaimed. They were here now; they _had_ to try!

"How will we defeat him?!" Hissed Umbra.

"I...I can try to use Attract on him..." Selene began doubtfully. "I'm not sure if it'll work, but maybe it'll distract him long enough for the rest to attack?"

"I can attempt to burn him." Ezra nodded

"And I know Trick-or-Treat and Confuse Ray!" Trilled Carys.

"I can't fight, thanks to my stupid arm, but I can throw items! I'm fast, so don't worry about me." Umbra said, looking more confident than he had a second ago.

Luna's Lucky Chant dissipated. A moment later, Palkia began stirring.

"It's all up to us four now. Let's not make Luna's...disappearance...all for nothing." Ezra said grimly, watching Palkia carefully.

"Right." The other three nodded as Palkia woke up.

"Then let's go!" Ezra yelled as the Spacial Pokemon roared in anger.

Ezra tossed their bag to Umbra, who hid in the upper-right corner of the room. Together, Selene, Carys, and Ezra surrounded Palkia in a triangle.

"Hey big boy, how are you doing?" Selene flirted, blowing him a kiss. The kiss planted itself on Palkia's cheek, and he turned to face the Lumineon. The Attract wasn't working fully on a Pokemon as powerful as Palkia, but it was enough to make him pause for a moment.

"Yah!" Shouted Carys from behind him, summoning candy and turning Palkia into a dragon/water/ghost-type.

He immediately whipped around, and with a shout, the pearls on his shoulders began glowing. He raised his right arm, and made a slashing motion. A giant, crescent-shaped wave of pink energy flew from his arm and towards Carys and Ezra, who was nearby. As the pink wave flew at her, Ezra could have sworn she saw a goldenrod-colored city within the attack. Then the wave hit her, and she saw nothing but black.

A second later, she was surrounded in white, and she found herself embedded ten feet deep in the back wall of the chamber. Painfully, she climbed out, seeing that Palkia had turned to tangle with Selene. The legendary was trying to hit her with Aqua Tail, but the attack did nothing to her, thanks to Storm Drain.

"Are you okay?!" Gasped Umbra, coming over to help her and Carys, who had also been embedded in the wall, out of the hole.

"Y-yeah...what _was _that?!" Ezra demanded, jumping down onto the floor.

"Palkia's signature move, Spacial Rend. It's powerful enough to warp space; it's no surprise it knocked you both out!" Umbra explained, pausing briefly to expertly throw an X-Eye Seed with his good arm into Palkia's open mouth, where he was attempting to use Hydro Pump on Selene.

Palkia's eyes went cross-eyed, and he wandered around the room, confused. Selene flashed him a thankful grin as she Bounced high into the air.

"'_Knocked us out_'?" Repeated Ezra, getting back to the conversation.

"Yup. Be careful of that attack." Umbra nodded grimly.

"A little help here?" Demanded Selene as she fell onto Palkia. The Lumineon jumped to the ground, panting. Ezra winced in sympathy. She hadn't forgotten the change in Pressure in the room. It was harder to use attacks.

"Coming!" Ezra called as she and Carys dove back into the fray. Ezra and Selene hit Palkia with Silver Wind and Night Shade, while Carys pinned the cross-eyed legendary with Confuse Ray.

As Selene Bounced into the air once more, Ezra hit him with Hex, then frantically dove out of the way before she was squished by a wandering Palkia.

Palkia recovered from the seed, but was still confused. He formed a blue ball of energy between his burly hands, then threw the orb where Umbra stood. The Weavile started to jump out of the way, but a second Aura Sphere caught him, and he too was knocked out. Thirteen Reviver Seeds left, and Palkia wasn't even breaking a sweat.

Umbra revived a second later, wincing as he rubbed his cast, which had been grazed by the attack. Reviver Seeds merely revived a person. They did not, unfortunately, heal broken bones.

"Hey Ez, mind burning him?" Carys shouted as she hit Palkia's left pearl with Shadow Ball.

As Palkia recovered from confusion, Ezra bravely—or stupidly, depending on who's asking—jumped onto Palkia's foot, intending to singe his leg.

"**GET OFF!**" Palkia shouted as he kicked wildly. It was one thing holding onto a struggling Crobat, entirely another holding onto a struggling Palkia. Ezra was flung off, where she crashed into Selene, creating a small rut in the floor. Palkia stood over them, preparing a Spacial Rend.

"NOPE!" Ezra yelled, diving out of the way.

But, thanks to Pressure, she wasn't able to summon enough energy to make the frantic dive, and was caught, along with Selene, by the Rend. This time, right before she was knocked out, she saw the largest port city she'd ever seen. Its south side was nothing but docks and boats, and a faint twinge of recognition flitted through Ezra's mind. Before she could identify the city, all went black once more.

There was a flash of white, and she was back in Astral Rift. Another flash of white beside her told her Selene had been revived as well.

"**GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**" Shouted Palkia, preparing another Spacial Rend. This time, before he could launch the devastating attack, two twirling balls of light danced before his eyes, making him confused.

"Now's our chance!" Ezra heard Carys from behind the great legendary. Together, she, Carys, and Selene began attacking Palkia together, with Umbra throwing Iron Thorns from his corner.

Ezra and Carys kept hitting Palkia with Hex and Shadow Ball, while Selene used Silver Wind, boosting her stats. It was so difficult raising enough energy to use her attacks, but Ezra endured. All too soon, the confusion wore off, and the three fighters were each blasted into the back wall with Aura Sphere. Although it was a fighting-type move, it was still strong enough to knock the two ghost-types off their feet. As all three struggled to get out from the wall, Umbra tossed them each an Oran Berry.

He successfully nailed Palkia with a Stun Seed, and the four used the opportunity to regroup.

"I don't think we're doing anything to him!" Hissed Ezra, watching Palkia struggle in vain to move.

"No, we're doing some damage. Look." Umbra pointed, and the three saw that, while still strong, Palkia was starting to pant. Their attacks, coupled with Umbra's Pressure, were starting to wear on the Pokemon.

"We're doing it." Carys marveled.

"Barely. I'm starting to run out of Iron Thorns, and his Pressure's making it almost impossible to dodge his Spacial Rend." Umbra sighed.

"We'll just have to hold out for a little longer." Ezra said determinedly, facing the others.

"Selene, try using Attract on him again. I'm going to burn him for sure this time." She said. She was probably going to get squashed, but then again, she'll be squashed anyway if they didn't stop the rampaging Palkia.

"On it." Selene nodded.

They turned back to Palkia just in time for him to recover from the effects.

"**GRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!**" He screeched, preparing a Hydro Pump. At the last second, he turned and fired on Selene, who was unaffected by the attack.

"Mmm, thanks, big boy, I could sure use some cold water on a hot day like this." Selene fluttered her eyelashes at Palkia, blowing another kiss. It was actually raining outside, but what Palkia didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

As the kiss landed, Palkia paused again, fighting the attack. Ezra ran up to the giant Pokemon, and once again jumped onto his foot. This time, she did not hesitate in using Ember, willing all of her power into the attack. The embers scorched his leg, making him howl and kick sharply, sending Ezra high into the air.

She did not attempt to dodge Palkia's Spacial Rend as she fell. She did her job. Palkia was burned. Her Hex would now be tripled in power, thanks to his burn and Carys' earlier Trick-or-Treat.

This time, as the blade of pink energy came for her, she saw a Jigglypuff with a mallet fighting an obese Prinplup wearing a red hat and cape, also holding a mallet. Then Ezra looked again, and paused. Wait...the two figures _looked_ like a Jigglypuff and Prinplup, but were oddly distorted. The Jigglypuff had oversized magenta feet, and the Prinplup's face was not that of a Prinplup. What was going on? She had no time to study the picture, for the attack enveloped her, and all was black once again.

She revived to see that Palkia had caught her, and was holding her tightly in his gargantuan hand. He held out the used Reviver Seed to Ezra, with an amused expression on his face. As she looked closer at the seed, Ezra saw that it was not a Reviver Seed, but a Revi**s**er Seed.

"**THOUGHT IT WAS THE RIGHT ONE!"** Chuckled Palkia, squeezing Ezra tightly. A light-headed feeling took over her, and Ezra faintly heard herself laughing as well. A Revi**s**er Seed! She could still hear herself laughing as her vision went black.

Nine Reviver Seeds left.

Ezra woke on the ground. For some reason, she ached all over, when normally she felt good as new whenever she revived.

"Ezra! You okay?" Carys demanded. Ezra looked up, and saw that Palkia had been put to sleep by a Sleep Seed.

"Yeah. What happened?" She asked.

"Sorry about that; I didn't know a Reviser Seed slipped in." Umbra apologized sheepishly while Selene battled the sleeping Palkia.

"Umbra threw a Sleep Seed at Palkia right after you fainted, and he dropped you." Carys explained.

"Ah." Ezra nodded.

With no time to lose, the trio got back to battling. Ezra was very pleased to see that her Hex, although tough to summon, was doing some massive damage against Palkia. Umbra had used up all his Iron Thorns, and was now bonking the legendary on the head with Gravelrocks.

Palkia announced his waking with a Spacial Rend that caught Carys, Umbra, and Selene by surprise. Ezra was out of range of the attack, thankfully. She was facing the back wall, while the other three were facing her. Palkia had been aiming at the back wall. Three beams of light shined down upon the three just as Palkia turned to face Ezra.

"**ENOUGH!**" He shouted, surrounding his tail in water. Ezra didn't even flinch as Palkia unsteadily—thanks to his burn—stalked towards her. She wasn't afraid of his Aqua Tail, even though one hit would be more than enough to knock her out.

As Palkia stood over her, he turned around, intending to hit her with his tail. Just as he was about to do so, he turned, and promptly hit a newly-revived Selene instead. She seemed surprised by the rude wake-up call, but thanks to her Ability, wasn't affected by the attack.

"Yoo-hoo~" Ezra called in a sing-song voice, barely managing to summon up the energy for a Hex. She tossed the purple wave of energy not without some difficulty, and didn't bother looking to see if it hit, clutching at her head. Palkia's Pressure was still in full effect, unfortunately.

She felt herself be hit by Aura Sphere, and wailed as she struck the wall behind her.

"Hey, Big Boy! Over here!" Selene shouted, yet again blowing another kiss. As Umbra raced to hand Ezra an Oran Berry, Selene and Carys struck Palkia, only to be cut down by Spacial Rend.

Four Reviver Seeds left.

They were struggling now, but so was Palkia. The big Pokemon wasn't as quick to attack as he had been in the beginning, and he was starting to show signs of exhaustion. But, in his maddened state, none of these things seemed to bother him. Instead, they only made him angrier.

He prepared an Aura Sphere, intending to strike Ezra and Umbra with it, but the Weavile simply tossed an X-Eye Seed at the legendary. Palkia's eyes went cross-eyed once more.

"Starting to run out of supplies. Four Reviver Seeds, 46 Gravelrocks, eleven Oran Berries, four X-Eye Seeds, three Sleep Seeds, two Stun Seeds, and three Blast Seeds left." Umbra sighed as Selene and Carys joined them.

"How do we still have so many Oran Berries?" Asked Ezra, using Night Shade on Palkia.

"His Spacial Rend is strong enough to knock us out in one hit, and he's been mainly using water-type attacks. He hasn't been using Aura Sphere that much." Selene said, joining Ezra. The Lumineon Bounced high in the air.

"Let's get rid of our Blast Seeds while we can, I suppose." Sighed Umbra.

Ezra, Umbra, and Carys each took a Blast Seed, then ate the seeds together. At the same time, they spat fire onto Palkia. A second later, Selene landed on him.

It still wasn't enough.

Palkia recovered, and looked even madder than before. Their attacks were doing damage, but all they were doing was enraging him further. Umbra's Pressure made it so that Palkia was suffering from lethargy too, but all in all, he was just too strong.

"We're never going to win!" Ezra shouted in frustration as Umbra was hit by Aura Sphere, knocking him out instantly.

"He's about to fall! I can feel it!" Carys shouted from the other side of Palkia.

"Let's give it all we got, together! Let's end this!" Ezra said as Umbra revived.

The four stood in a circle around the legendary. Palkia, as if sensing their intentions, began charging up an extra-powerful Spacial Rend.

"On three!" Shouted Ezra, watching Palkia carefully. If she didn't time it right, they could forget saving the world.

"One...two...THREE!" She screamed, just as Palkia began arcing his arm down.

Together, the four struck Palkia with all their might, expending not a single drop of energy in their final assault.

As Palkia was hit by the combination of Silver Wind, Dark Pulse, Hex, and Shadow Ball, he paused for a brief second, the Spacial Rend dissipating.

"...Did we do it?" Ezra asked nervously, when Palkia did nothing.

As if to answer her, Palkia gave an anguished roar, and began swaying back and forth.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Screamed Selene at the top of her lungs.

The four Pokemon raced to avoid Palkia as he swayed for one more moment, then fell to the ground in an exhausted heap.

Not all of them escaped injury, however. As Palkia fell, his tail lashed back and forth, only to collide with Umbra and dash the Weavile against the left wall of the chamber.

Umbra screamed, clutching his broken arm as he fell to the ground. His cast had been ripped away during the fight, and now his forearm was bent at an unnatural angle. The tip of the fractured bone was visible through his skin...

As Selene and Carys went to help him, Ezra cautiously took the Team Banshee bag, and dragged the Air Blade out of the satchel, ignoring Umbra's wails of agony. It took her a few minutes for her to drag the hefty thing over to Palkia, but eventually she was next to the fallen legendary. Carefully, she put the hilt of the sword into Palkia's outstretched hand. She then climbed onto Palkia's hand, and pushed each clawed finger over the hilt, so that he was now loosely holding the Air Blade.

She jumped down from Palkia's hand, and when she landed, Palkia shimmered pink for a few seconds, and then he opened his eyes. This time, they were clear, with no trace of the insanity that had plagued him only minutes before.

* * *

"**Ahh...aaaahhhhh..." **He murmured, stirring. Ezra quickly rushed to their bag, and got out their remaining Oran Berries. She ran back to Palkia, and offered them to him. He took the berries, eating them all in one gulp. Instantly, all of his wounds healed, minus the burn Ezra had given him. Palkia rose until he stood once more, surveying them all, taking care not to put too much weight on his burned leg.

Carys had torn off the strap to the Lunar Wind's bag, and together she and Selene had made a makeshift splint for Umbra's broken arm, made from the bag strap and a few broken pieces of brick. Umbra's cries had lessened to muted sobs. He would need to get to a doctor ASAP.

"**What...has happened?**" Palkia asked, looking at the Air Blade in his hand.

"Lord Palkia, do you remember what happened to you?" Ezra asked tentatively.

"**Pieces. Fragments. Snatches of what Giratina has done, and of my own rage. Who are you?**" Palkia rumbled.

"I'm Ezra of Team Banshee. The Pumpkaboo is Carys, of the same team. The Weavile is Umbra, and the Lumineon Selene. They are from Team Lunar Wind." Ezra explained.

"**Lunar Wind...Cresselia.**" Mused Palkia. "**It has been so long since I have been myself...almost a century...**"

He turned to face Ezra.

"**You are not from this dimension. I can sense it. You come from a land populated with humans and Pokemon alike."**

Ezra nodded. "I know. The Original One brought me here and turned me into a Pokemon so that I may stop _Him_ from destroying this world." She hesitated before adding, "There is another human here who was also turned into a Pokemon. Formora. She's here to ensure that darkness wins."

"**Ah..."** Palkia said softly. "**Why do you come here, then? Why do I have my Air Blade?"**

"Lord Palkia, we came for two things. First, we came for the Original One's penultimate Shard, which was given to you by _Him_ to prevent us from succeeding in our quest. The second was to finally alleviate the darkness clouding your mind. That is why we brought you the Air Blade. Cresselia told us it would restore your mind." Ezra explained.

"**'The penultimate Shard'?"** Palkia asked, looking confused.

"It has no more Shards left in Its body. _He _took them all_..._It will die very soon. But we're doing our best to prevent that from happening." Ezra explained, looking down in sympathy for the deity.

"**WHAT?!" **Palkia roared. "**Ohhh, that little upstart brother of mine. When I get hold of him...**" Palkia shook his head.

"**Never mind. You said that you came to vanquish my torment?"**

"Yes. Again, Cresselia told us that by giving you the Air Blade, you would return to normal." Ezra repeated. Palkia only sighed.

"**She is partially correct. I am sane now, but...the Air Blade does not hold the power to prevent the darkness from returning. Already, I feel it start to creep in again..."**

Ezra felt her heart sink.

"So we did all that for nothing?" She asked, tears coming to her eye.

"**Not entirely. You obtained the penultimate Shard. Since I was given it, I assume my brother Dialga was given the last?" **Ezra nodded. **"I thought so. You have also defeated me, the lord of space. Very few can say they have done that. While I am still myself, is there anything I may do for you?"**

"Lord Palkia!" Selene said, coming up to him. "We fought you just now. At the beginning of our fight, you...tossed our leader, a Mismagius named Luna, through a rip in space. Where...where is she?"

Palkia paused, and Ezra had the distinct feeling he was somehow searching through all the dimensions even though his body was right in front of her.

"**She is on an island by a dungeon named Silver Sea. She is unconscious, but no one has disturbed her.**" Palkia reported.

"Silver Sea...that's all the way across the continent!" Exclaimed Selene.

"**I shall retrieve her for you.**" Palkia began to open up a hole in space, but the four protested at the top of their lungs. Palkia paused, looking confused.

"Lord Palkia, it's dangerous for Pokemon to be transported through space! Bad things happen!**" **Chided Selene.

Palkia looked at her like she had said that the sky was orange. "**Traveling through space does not harm Pokemon. I have transported many others like you through space, and no harm befell them."**

"Wh-what...? But...whenever someone does, they go unconscious for at least a day. Ezra was unlucky enough to get her memory wiped." Carys said, as confused as Palkia.

The lord of space sighed in understanding. "**Ah. I see now. Thanks to my wayward brother's meddling, warping has become unstable enough for anyone besides me, my brothers, the Original One, and Hoopa."**

"Why don't you just fix it right now, before you go insane again?" Inquired Ezra.

"**It is not that easy. How to explain...? What my brother has done, distorting time and space...it's like disturbing a nest of Beedrill. They go after us three, and Dialga and I are stuck fending off the Beedrill while their nest is further destroyed by Giratina. We cannot repair the nest if we're preoccupied with the Beedrill. Only someone with the power to mend the nest can save us from the Beedrill. That someone is the Original One. Without It's aid, we three are doomed." **Palkia rumbled.

"_He_ isn't going crazy like you two have. _He_ seems awfully sane, even though _He_ must be affected by the distortions as well." Observed Ezra, rather daringly. It probably wasn't wise to bait a major legendary.

"**You think he is **_**sane**_**, child? No sane person would wish the end of the universe."** Palkia shook his head.

"O-oh..." Ezra faltered, then an idea came to her. "Lord Palkia, could you...could you open a rift between this world and the world I came from?"

Palkia paused for a long moment, then shook his head.

"**No. I am powerful, but there are limits. ...Think of the two worlds as two different spiderwebs. I only have control over space on this world's spiderweb, and all related dimensions. Your world is on a different spiderweb, one that I cannot reach. If you want to reach your old world, you'd need to ask the Original One. It is the only Pokemon with the power to go between the two worlds."**

"Then how was Formora brought here?" Demanded Ezra, disheartened that Palkia couldn't warp to her old world. If Palkia couldn't, then Hoopa certainly could not as well.

"Yveltal, maybe?" Suggested Selene. "He has the power to drain life. Maybe he transferred some of the Original One's power to _Him, _allowing _Him_ the ability to bring her here?"

"**That would work." **Palkia nodded. He grunted, and clutched his head. "**The madness returns. You four should leave."**

"Give us the Air Blade, then, so your rampages won't be as destructive." Said Ezra, sad to see their mission mostly unsuccessful.

"**No. The Air Blade does not hold the power to keep all the madness at bay, but it should give me enough sanity to prevent myself from hurting others or the world. I'll just be...screaming...a lot." **Palkia seemed sad at the thought of losing his mind once more. Ezra couldn't blame him. She'd be sad if she lost her memory again.

"Very well. Farewell, Lord Palkia. We shall rescue you from eternal torment, or die trying." Selene nodded, supporting a still-weeping Umbra as they prepared to leave.

"**I wish you all luck. Do you know where my brother Dialga is?"** Palkia asked. The four nodded. "**Excellent. Goodbye, brave warriors. Send my regards to Cresselia and Dialga, when you see him."**

"We will do that, My Lord. Farewell." Ezra nodded as the four exited the dungeon.

* * *

They had barely left the vicinity when they heard Palkia's maddened screech echo from his chamber. Ezra felt a pang of sympathy wash over her for the legendary. To be sane once more, only for it to be taken away...

It was nighttime when they left, and the rain had stopped, leaving everything wet. A few miles from Astral Rift, Selene and Umbra stopped them.

"We need to depart for now; we need to contact Our Lady and tell her of Luna. She should message us later on, once we're all asleep. I'm not sure if we'll see you for the fight with Dialga, but...it'll depend on Luna." Selene looked troubled, no doubt worried about her leader. Luna would be very, very lucky if she had only been knocked unconscious.

"Sounds good. See you later." Ezra nodded as the two parties split.

It was well after midnight by the time Team Banshee had returned to Lily Town. The town was asleep, and no one came to greet them as they walked through the streets and up to the Lofts. To their surprise, everyone was still up, but the residents were kind enough to see that the duo were exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in a nice warm bed. So, the residents merely hugged them and whispered goodnight to them, even though they were clearly desperate for the story.

Team Banshee fell asleep before their heads hit their pillows.

* * *

It felt like Ezra had just closed her eyes when Cresselia summoned them. She, Carys, Umbra, Selene, and Cresselia were back in Lily Town Square. Umbra still had his makeshift splint on; obviously he had not seen a doctor yet.

"You did it!" Beamed Cresselia, looking positively radiant. This was a stark difference from her normal solemn expression.

"It was tough, but we did." Ezra nodded. "The Air Blade didn't hold the power to completely restore his sanity, though..."

"Yes, the Lunar Wind told me. Even so, you have lessened Palkia's rage, and that should put a damper on Giratina's parade." Cresselia nodded.

"What of Luna?" Asked Carys.

"Xerneas and I are traveling to her now. I'll admit, the timing couldn't be worse, but it's necessary that we rescue her." Said Cresselia.

"The timing?" Echoed Ezra. Cresselia sighed wearily.

"We're being pursued by Team Renegade again. We have a few days' head start, but they're rapidly gaining on us. It's no worry, we've fought them before."

Ezra wasn't convinced, but didn't pursue the matter.

"As for Dialga, my informant has told me where the Time Shield is." Cresselia turned the background into a map again. This time, she flew over to the middle of the south-eastern quadrant of the continent, where a large cave was marked on the map.

"This is Starry Chasm. It's where the Time Shield is. I know you just got back from fighting Palkia, but I'd like it you two went and retrieved it tomorrow. I hate to push you, but..." Cresselia trailed off.

"Celestial Spire could crumble at any minute." Ezra finished softly. The destruction of the Spire meant Arceus was dead. "No worries, we'll handle it."

"Thank you." Cresselia said solemnly. She looked up. "It is almost dawn. I will leave you to your well-earned slumber. Fare thee well. I'll see you tomorrow night."

As the dream faded, she turned to Umbra. "And you, dear Umbra, are going straight to a doctor. It's a wonder you made it this far."

Ezra couldn't hear Umbra's reply, for the dream faded completely, and she returned to a blissful sleep.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed the fight against Palkia. If not, then let me know how I can improve for the fight against Dialga :)**

**The next post shall contain: the home of a foe, some temporal armor, and a comatose ally.**


	66. Chapter 66

Ezra and Carys gave the residents what they wanted at breakfast. In between mouthfuls of syrupy pancakes and toast, they narrated their journey through Astral Rift and the battle with Palkia. Their audience hissed in sympathy when they heard of Luna's toss through space, and also of Umbra's re-broken arm.

"Wow...all of you have been through a lot." Ranna said softly.

"It was no picnic, but we did it. Hopefully Dialga will be easier." Sighed Ezra.

"Do you know where the Time Shield is?" Asked Vaporeon.

"Yeah, in a place called Starry Chasm. We're going there today right after breakfast." Nodded Carys.

Meloetta sputtered, and began choking on her tea. A few coughs later, she turned to stare at the duo with worried eyes.

"Starry Chasm...Ezra and Carys, that's where Jirachi lives." She said.

"The wish-granting legendary? Awesome!" Grinned Carys. Ezra turned to look at her, intrigued. There was a Pokemon who could grant wishes? Sweet.

Meloetta shook her head. "You don't understand; Jirachi's gone Dark. She'll fight you if you see her."

"Wait, what?" Protested Ezra. Meloetta nodded.

"Great. Another boss battle." Ezra groaned, leaning back in her chair.

"She might not be home." Ivysaur said optimistically.

"Hopefully." Carys said miserably.

* * *

As soon as they stepped into town, they were hounded by the townsfolk, who were all wanting to know what happened yesterday. So, Team Banshee was forced to retell the story. Afterwards, the town fell silent, thinking about the MIA Luna and injured Umbra. Worst of all was Palkia, who had gone insane once more. To a lesser degree than before, but still insane.

"Where are you going today? To defeat Dialga?" Piped up Pancham, the owner of Pancham's Dojo, which was at the southern end of town.

"No, we're on our way to get the Time Shield. _Then_ we'll beat Dialga." Ezra shook her head.

"We should give them some space, let them do their thing." Said Neal. The crowd dispersed slowly, and Ezra and Carys went about their daily routine.

First things first, they needed to reorganize their bag. They sold their collection of Plain Seeds, then put everything else in storage. They then took out their normal gear consisting of: 32 Gravelrocks, three apples, three Oran Berries, three Reviver Seeds—they only had five left, including the ones they took out. They'd seriously need to stock up soon—two Sleep Seeds, two Stun Seeds, an X-Eye Seed, an Escape Orb, and the Lunar Wing in case Cresselia needed them. They also had their trusty Trap Scarf and Stamina Band on them.

They had accumulated 2, 831 Poke during their trek up Astral Rift, and they used this money to buy two Reviver Seeds, three apples, 10 Iron Thorns, a Stun Seed, and a Blast Seed. They put these new items in storage, and put the rest of the money away in Jumpluff Bank.

Now that they were all geared out, they set off for the Starry Chasm.

* * *

**Starry Chasm ( watch?v=n2PW348F_vY)**

The place didn't look too bad. The dungeon lay in the side of a cliff in a forest. Tiny crystals reflected the light from the sun, making them look like stars. The surrounding area seemed peaceful, and there was no sign of an evil legendary lurking around.

"Here we are. It doesn't feel like Jirachi's home." Said Ezra, staring up at the dungeon entrance.

"Let's hope so. Ready to get the Time Shield?" Asked Carys.

"Yup."

Together, they entered the dungeon.

**B1F**

The dungeon was nothing but blue. The floor was an electric blue color, with purple stones scattered here and there. The walls were a dark navy color, almost black. Tiny, multicolored crystals littered the walls, shedding light into the bare dungeon. It almost looked like the night sky.

"Ooh, this place looks pretty." Said Carys, looking around. "And we have Stairs!"

"I should probably find an Insomniscope, now that we have the Lunar Wing with us again. I don't want to waste Cresselia's time if I accidentally get hit by Sleep Powder or Hypnosis." Ezra said thoughtfully.

"Good plan. Let's see if there's one here or in the markets when we're done. Ready to begin exploring?" Agreed Carys.

"You bet. Let's go." Nodded Ezra, and the two walked down the Stairs.

**B2F**

There was a Ledian in their spawn chamber. It alerted them to its presence with Silver Wind, annoying Carys.

"No! Not Silver Wind!" She scowled, hitting it with Shadow Ball.

The Ledian zipped around speedily, its Agility sharply raising its speed. It zoomed over to them in the blink of an eye, and hit Carys with Swift. Gold stars flew from its mouth and onto Carys, who was only mildly miffed at the attack.

"That doesn't hurt, you know." She said as she attempted to hit it again with Shadow Ball.

It flew out of the way, only to be caught by Ezra's Flame Burst. It had been so focused on Carys, it didn't register Ezra as a threat. It dropped a Dainty-looking Box as it fell.

"I was going to beat it." Frowned Carys to Ezra.

"Sorry." Ezra shrugged, putting the box into the bag.

**B3F**

In a hall, there was a Gothorita and Lunatone, respectively.

"I'll take the former if you take the latter." Said Ezra, dodging a Heal Block.

"On it." Said Carys, phasing into the wall beside her.

Ezra sent out the red waves of Night Shade at the Gothorita, but it jumped into the air and its eyes glowed blue for a second. Ezra scowled. Future Sight.

She attempted to hit the foe with Night Shade yet again, but before she could unleash the attack, the enemy began Flattering her, telling her how wonderful she was and that she'd surely save the world. Ezra was confused. Why was a dungeon foe complimenting her? It was enough to make her head spin, and she dizzily tried to attack the foe, hitting a wall instead.

She tottered, unable to see clearly. She felt multiple stabs of pain jolt through her, but she could never tell where they were coming from. There was one big jolt of pain—this was enough to dash her to the ground—and a few seconds later, her vision cleared, only to find no enemies, just Carys standing beside her.

"Foes are defeated. You're welcome." Carys grinned.

**B4F**

Ezra was in luck. There was an Insomiscope in their spawn chamber! Gleefully, she ran over to it, picking it up.

"Yes!" She cheered, starting to take off her Trap Scarf. Then she paused.

"What should I do with my Trap Scarf? It seems like a waste to throw away such a useful item like it." She asked.

"I'll take it." Offered Carys.

So, Carys took off her Stamina Band, and Ezra gave her the Trap Scarf. Ezra put on the Insomiscope, and thus she was safe from accidentally summoning Cresselia.

**B5F**

"Stairs are the best thing since wrapped candy." Sighed Carys in bliss.

**B6F**

They found a Butterfree and Togetic in a chamber together. Ezra went to tangle with the Butterfree while Carys dealt with the Togetic. Both foes used Safeguard at once. Carys responded by Trick-or-Treating with with the Togetic while Ezra tossed an Ember at the Butterfree.

The Butterfree responded with Captivate...but it didn't work, as apparently it was a female. Captivate only worked on the _opposite_ gender.

Laughing, Ezra took it down with Flame Burst, she turned to see Carys be hit by Ancient Power from the Togetic. Ezra merely surprised it with Hex, and they no longer had to battle.

**B7F**

A Sylveon was blocking their way in a hall. It tried to use Last Resort on Ezra, but the move could not be done, as it hadn't used the rest of its moves first.

Ezra nailed it with Night Shade, and Carys used Confuse Ray from the wall beside her. A Trick-or-Treat and Hex later, they could pass.

**B8F**

They found a chamber with a White Gummi and Royal Gummi. They weren't feeling too hungry just yet, but it was always a good idea to keep themselves as energized as possible.

"I don't think we've had these two Gummis in a while. Remind me what the tastes are again?" Asked Ezra as she handed the Royal Gummi to Carys.

The Pumpkaboo ate hers. "Dragonfruit." She said definitely a second later. Ezra roller her eyes and shook her head, and promptly downed her own Gummi.

"Vanilla." She said.

"Makes sense, I guess. The normal type, the normal, original flavor." Shrugged Carys.

"Chocolate's better, though."

"_Right?_"

**B9F**

"Team Siren can't be the only famous team. There's got to others." Ezra said as they were walking down a hall.

"Oh yeah, tons." Carys nodded.

"What were they like?" Asked Ezra eagerly. It would be neat to hear about other famous teams from the past.

"Let's see...There was Team Vitality, composed of Mothim, Throh, and Nidoking. Their goal was to defeat every legendary ever." Carys thought.

"Did they?" Asked Ezra, awed. That was one heck of a goal.

.

"No...all three of them disappeared about a hundred years ago when they were journeying across the sea to defeat Lugia or Kyogre. Rumor has it their boat was caught in a storm, and all three drowned." Carys shook her head.

"Oh..." Ezra said in a small voice. Drowned at sea, never to see the surface again...what a scary way to die.

"Yeah. Then there was Team Ra, composed of Sunny the Sunflora and Heliolisk. They were a very famous rescue team seventy years ago. They'd go to the most endurance-testing dungeons ever, all to rescue the Pokemon trapped inside. They went to dungeons that has strict rules, such as 'no bringing in items with you' or 'begin at your most weakest power'. Dungeons like Abysmal Abyss, the one Team Siren went to while we were looking for Shards. I think Sunny's still alive, but Heliolisk died a few years ago." Carys went on.

"But the most famous Team ever..." Carys went on, "would definitely be Team Quintessence, who existed 1,000 years ago. They were composed of the lovers Quinn the Frillish, and Tess the Roserade. They never married, I think."

"Quintessence. Quinn and Tess. Creative." Ezra said dryly.

"They didn't name their team after their names. They named themselves that because they were the quintessence of true love. Laugh at their team name if you want, but these two were the _best_ treasure hunters you'd ever seen! They're said to have amassed even more wealth than Team Siren. They were the richest Pokemon to have ever existed, and will _ever_ exist. Legend says they died together, and their tomb is filled to the brim with their treasure." Carys sighed dreamily.

"Whoa." Gasped Ezra. "Has anyone ever found their tomb?"

"No. No one knows where they're buried. That's the ultimate goal of explorers and archaeologists: find the lost tomb of Team Quintessence."

"Ooh. Treasure like that is worth killing for. Maybe it's best if their tomb remains undisturbed." Shuddered Ezra after a moment of thought.

"...Good point." Carys said after a moment.

They continued the rest of the floor in silence.

**B10F**

"Cares. Pears. Tears. Fairs. Lairs. What do they all have in common? They rhyme with 'Stairs'!" Laughed Carys.

**B11F**

In a hall, there was an Espeon and Butterfree, respectively, blocking their way.

"I'll take care of the Butterfree if you'll take care of Espeon." Offered Ezra as the foes approached.

"Sounds like a plan." Agreed Carys, and Ezra dove into the walls. The Butterfree was just a simple matter of using Flame Burst and Ember in quick succession. It was a piece of cake, really.

Ezra walked into the spot behind the Espeon, thoroughly trapping it between them. She waited as Carys turned it into a psychic/ghost-type, then surprised the foe with Night Shade. Whipping around, the foe countered with Psychic, catching Ezra and telekinetically lifting her high up into the air. She was then slammed harshly down into the ground, knocking the breath out of her lungs and making her see stars for a few seconds.

Before Carys could defeat it, the Espeon called on the Morning Sun, glowing white. Rays of sunshine somehow trickled down into the cave and onto the Espeon, restoring some of its health.

No matter. Team Banshee knew it would win this fight. Ezra and Carys used the Shadow-Shade combo, but the Espeon jumped high into the air, dodging both attacks.

The duo tried again, this time aiming for the spot the Espeon would land on. With perfect timing, they attacked the Espeon, defeating it.

**B12F**

As they were walking through a chamber, an Espeon spawned nearby. As it was still getting used to the new surroundings, a casual Shadow-Shade combo surprised it.

Ezra and Carys looked at each other, smiling. That Espeon never even knew what hit it.

**B13F**

Now that she was wearing an Insomniscope, Ezra was once again vulnerable to the universe's sense of humor. The universe decided to celebrate this occasion with a Warp Trap.

Ezra was not pleased.

"Oh, we're going to play _this_ again, are we?" She grumbled as she landed in another chamber.

Muttering obscenities under her breath, she picked a corridor, then walked down it, hoping to find either Carys or the Stairs.

**B14F**

They had spawned in with a Lunatone. It began the fight with Heal Block, latching red chains onto the two. The chains didn't impede their ability to move at all, but they did prevent the duo from regaining health for a few minutes.

"Is that all you got?" Asked Ezra, unimpressed, as she threw a Hex at it. It dodged, and returned the gesture with Stone Edge, sending up pointed stones from below onto Ezra. She looked, and frantically dove out of the way, shouting, "NOPE!" as she did so.

Carys defeated it with Razor Leaf, and instantly the red chains dissipated, leaving them free to heal themselves anytime they wished.

**B15F**

In a hall lay a Sylveon and Gothorita, respectively. Carys jumped into the wall next to Ezra, and together they started off with a Hex-Leaf combo. The Sylveon wailed, but was not defeated. It summoned a Light blue Screen in front of it, reducing the damage from any special attack for a few minutes. It then raised its head up to the sky, drawing power from the moon. It then launched this Moonblast at Ezra, who flattened herself onto the ground as much as she could, feeling the force of the attack above her head.

Together, she and Carys managed to defeat the Sylveon with Razor Leaf and Hex, the latter being critically-hit.

The Gothorita stepped up to fight, and was immediately nailed by Carys' Confuse Ray. After that, all they needed was a Shadow-Hex combo.

The blue-and-silver box it dropped was unbelievably Heavy for such a small-looking thing.

**B16F**

"STAAAAAAIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSS!" Screamed Carys as she threw herself down them.

Ezra sighed.

**B17F**

As they had been walking through the floor, Ezra felt the strangest need to go to sleep. From the look on Carys' face, she was experiencing it as well.

"Cresselia?" Asked Carys, catching Ezra's eye.

"Could be. Let's find a chamber and I'll see." Ezra responded, and the duo hurried down the hall, and into a chamber. Fortunately, it was free of enemies, so they bunkered down in the wall, where they wouldn't be disturbed. Ezra took off her Insomniscope, and they cautiously ate a Sleep Seed.

When she opened her eye, she saw Cresselia standing in front of them. The background was a sunny beach.

"Greetings." Nodded Cresselia.

"Hello. What's up?" Asked Ezra. Cresselia sighed.

"Xerneas and I found Luna...but there's a problem. She's in a coma. We're trying all we can to wake her, but I don't know when that will be..." Trailed the Lunar Pokemon.

"Oh...That's awful." Frowned Ezra in sympathy. "Well, we can still fight Dialga with the rest of the Lunar Wind." She added optimistically

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." Cresselia shook her head. "Umbra's arm needs to heal. His dueling with Palkia put his health in jeopardy, and I do not want that to happen again. So, I am forcing him to take sick leave. You cannot fight Dialga with just Selene, so..." Cresselia sighed. "I understand you live with Team Siren. I was wondering...if they would fight alongside you two? Their expertise will be a major asset, and they're the only Team strong enough to be able to take him on."

"Team Siren? Yeah, we can ask them." Nodded Carys.

"Excellent! Let them know I will contact them tonight, with you two." Cresselia smiled, then paused, looking at something that wasn't there. After a moment, she rolled her eyes.

"Xerneas says hi." Another pause, and her face grew annoyed. "He wants to know if you two had fun fighting Palkia."

"Had...fun?" Repeated Ezra, incredulous. What kind of question was that? Cresselia remained silent., her face still annoyed. From the looks of it, she was used to this.

"Er..." Ezra looked at Carys for support. "Not...really?"

Cresselia paused to relay the message, and shook her head wearily. "He's pleased with your honesty."

There was an awkward silence.

"So..." Said Ezra, breaking it. "Do you know how long Starry Chasm is? We understand it's Jirachi's home."

"20 floors, just like Dubious Woods. And yes, this is Jirachi's home dungeon. She's gone to the Dark side, unfortunately, but you're in luck. She's not home, so you won't have to worry about fighting her."

Team Banshee breathed a sigh of relief. It would be nice to not have to battle another legendary two days in a row.

"Well, unless you two have any other questions, I'll be seeing you and Team Siren tonight." Said Cresselia.

The duo shook their heads.

"Alright. Fare thee well." With that, the dream faded, and the duo woke up.

"Only three more floors!" Carys said to Ezra, who was blinking sleep away.

"Yeah. Let's get them over with quickly." She nodded.

**B18F**

As they entered a chamber, they found a sleeping Ledian and a Butterfree inside. The Butterfree, upon noticing them, used Safeguard, throwing up a transparent blue dome around it and the Ledian, who was still sleeping blissfully.

As the duo drew closer to the Butterfree, it began emitting a high-pitched sound from its wings. Bug Buzz. Ezra and Carys flinched, trying to block out the ear-splitting sound.

"Would. You. STOP?!" Yelled Ezra, tossing a Flame Burst at the foe. The attack spread to include the Ledian, and it woke up angrily.

"I got it." Sighed Carys, going to tangle with the now-woken Ledian.

Meanwhile, the Butterfree was scattering a red powder all over the room. Wherever the Rage Powder touched Ezra or Carys, their skin would erupt violently into an itchy rash.

"Augh!" Snarled Ezra, scratching her wax furiously. How her wax could develop a rash, she had no idea. Fury washed over her. How _dare_ that Butterfree give her hives?! It needed to be taught a lesson that it'll never forget. From the looks of it, Carys was thinking the exact same thing.

The Butterfree went down in a glorious combination of Shadow Ball and Flame Burst. Miraculously, the rash began to fade after the Butterfree fainted. A Silver Wind caught their attention.

"Oh. You're still here?" Asked Carys, surprised, as she and Ezra defeated the Ledian with the same combination.

**B19F**

Ezra scratched her arm. Parts of her still itched from the Rage Powder on the previous floor.

"Heads up, there's a Togetic coming our way." Warned Carys from behind. Ezra looked up, and saw that she was correct.

"I'll dive into the wall." Carys said, diving into the hall wall.

As the Togetic drew closer, it opened the fight with Safeguard. Ezra launched a Night Shade at it, but it ducked, retaliating with Ancient Power. It held out its hands, and formed a silver ball of energy in front of it. It then hurled the ball at Ezra, who was unable to dodge in time. She was knocked back a few feet.

Gritting her teeth, she looked up to see Carys turn it into a fairy/flying/ghost-type. The Togetic tried to change position with Baton Pass, but all that did was put it into the wall and Carys back out into the hall.

"Ooh, using your new type to your advantage, eh? Well, joke's on you, we're ghost-types too!" Carys said, distracting it while Ezra phased into the wall as well.

All it took was one Hex, and it was down. She got out from the wall, and absentmindedly scratched her face while they continued along.

**B20F**

"Last floor, and we have Stairs! Can life get any better?" Beamed Carys.

**Starry Chasm Chamber**

Jirachi's home looked exactly like the inside of the dungeon. The only difference was that there was a large purple stone in the shape of a star embedded in the middle of the floor. Speaking of large things, there was a blue and silver...something...at the far end of the room.

"The Time Shield!" Ezra exclaimed excitedly as they rushed over to it.

The Time Shield was _huge, _slightly taller than a Wailmer. The middle of it was gray, with a blue diamond in the middle. The gray middle extended into two spikes at the top, sides, and bottom of the shield. The top and bottom parts of the shield were blue, with an aqua line running down the middle

On the back of the shield was a thick blue strap running vertically down, probably for Dialga to slip his arm through.

"It's...impressive." Marveled Ezra. When she touched the Time Shield, she felt as if she were in the past, the present, and the future all at once. She hastily removed her hand from the trippy thing.

"We did it! We got the Time Shield! Oh, let's hurry back to Lily Town, before Jirachi shows up." Said Carys.

"Oh, gosh, yes. One second." Ezra hurried to bring the bag to the shield. When the inside of the bag touched the Time Shield, it was sucked inside, like a vacuum.

With the Time Shield in hand, they returned to Lily Town.

* * *

**Lily Town**

The town cheered upon their return, just like they did when they got back from Dubious Woods. They didn't bring out the shield to show everyone—waaaaaay too heavy—but luckily the town believed them. They slapped the two on the back as the duo headed home, congratulating them.

Team Siren were quite surprised when Team Banshee told them Cresselia wanted to talk to them, but they readily agreed to meet with her.

* * *

This time, the background was a map of the continent. Ezra and Carys saw Team Siren, who were looking around, utterly confused. A second later, Cresselia materialized in front of them.

"Cresselia!" Gasped Ranna in wonder.

"Hello, Team Siren. I presume you know why I'm here?" Nodded Cresselia.

"Yes. We'd be honored to fight alongside Team Banshee against Dialga." Nodded Meloetta, cutting right to the chase.

"I'm pleased. Dialga is a major legendary, but having a legendary of our own will make the fight more balanced in our favor." Smiled Cresselia.

"How are Luna and Umbra? And Selene?" Asked Ezra worriedly.

"Luna's still unconscious. Umbra's unhappy at having nothing to do. Selene's having survivor's guilt." Sighed Cresselia.

"Survivor's guilt?" Echoed Carys.

"When someone survives a traumatic experience when others do not. In this case, Selene's upset that she got out relatively unscathed while her teammates are injured." Explained Cresselia.

"How awful..." Frowned Meloetta.

"Indeed. But they will all recover, in time. Speaking of, allow me to show you where Eternal Tower is." Cresselia floated over to the southeastern side of the continent, and hovered over the crescent-shaped island that housed Hidden Ruins. This time, she floated over the easternmost tip of the island, where a blue tower was marked on the map.

"Here is it. Oh, but I wish it weren't." She moaned.

"Why? We've been here before." Said Ezra as the five walked over to look more closely.

"You were lucky. You see this?" Cresselia floated over to a castle-looking thing, which appeared to be only a few hours away from the tower.

"Yeah. What is it?" Asked Carys.

"This, Teams Banshee and Siren, is the entrance to Giratina's lair. On top of it is the main Headquarters of the entire Dark army." Cresselia said dauntingly.

"WHAT?!" Screeched everyone.

Ezra had a flashback to Hidden Ruins, right before she and Carys fought Team Renegade.

"_You three are as trapped on this island as we are. Kialandi can't fly with both you and Firnen on his back. And once I out who you three are, every Pokemon on this island will ensure that you three are taken into custody!" _She had said.

"_Wait, you don't know?" _Kialandi had replied, looking confused. Now she knew what he meant. They had not known that the Dark HQ was on the very same island. Team Renegade were surrounded in allies.

Cresselia nodded sadly. "This is where Giratina and Team Renegade live. Xerneas and I have known of its location for some time. The Dark makes no effort to hide it. And yet it is this island where Dialga lies. But, do not worry," She added, seeing their terrified faces. "I will send a friend of the Light—his name is Ditto—to Lily Town shortly. He will transport you all to Eternal Tower, and remain there until you five exit. He can transform into any Pokemon, so he will be able to take you all there and back home again. He will have multiple Invisify Orbs, so the Dark will not detect you. Once you all are inside the tower, he will simply turn into a Kecleon or Gengar, and disappear. In and out, just like that. Relatively easy." Cresselia smiled assuringly, but Ezra was not comforted.

"What if we _are_ detected?" She asked.

"Then Ditto will fly you all to Abandoned Relic. It is here." Cresselia flew to the mid-southeast corner of the main continent, where a cave was marked. "This is the home of a legendary named Reshiram. He is on our side, and he will be joined by another legendary named Zygarde. Between them, any pursuers will find themselves vastly outmatched. They will be keeping an eye out for you should trouble arise."

"Sounds simple enough." Meloetta nodded as if this was just one big picnic, but Ezra still had her doubts. What if they were shot down over water? Then she would end up like Team Vitality, drowned at sea.

_Well, worrying won't save the world_, a small voice inside her said. _I should have more faith in Cresselia. She'd make sure nothing harmed us._

"Yeah, let's do this thing." Ezra heard herself saying.

"Good luck, you five. I have faith in you all. I will contact you all tomorrow night. I still don't know where the Space Globe is just yet, but I'm certain I'll have the answer soon." Cresselia nodded, smiling, as the dream began to fade.

"Tell Xerneas I said hi!" She heard Meloetta shout, right before the dream faded completely.

* * *

**Aaaaaand the Lunar Wind's out of the fight. Who knows how long Luna will remain in that coma? And poor Umbra's arm is too much of a liability for him now. Why **_**did**_** Formora have to go and break it, anyway? He was seconds away from fainting when she broke it, and she knew it. **

**A couple of you have been saying you weren't too sure on the choice of music for the Palkia fight. I'm curious to know why. Too serious? Too slow? Tell me!**

**Oh, by the way, you guys **_**might**_** want to reread the fight again. There was a tiny, subtle detail that ****I think you guys will find interesting. ...Well, **_**I**_** find it neat, anyway. I'll give you a hint: Palkia's**** attacks are more powerful than you think. **

**If you're still confused, wait until the Dialga fight. It'll make **_**loads **_**more sense then. **

**The next post shall contain: Enemy territory, an Eternal Tower, and an equally Eternal Spire.**


	67. Chapter 67

True to her word, Cresselia's ally was waiting for them in the town square when they woke up. Ditto was nothing but a short pink blob, and he received many stares from the townsfolk, who probably hadn't seen many Dittos in their lifetime.

"Are you five Teams Siren and Banshee?" He asked the five as they emerged fresh from breakfast. He was carrying a large bag that was easily twice as big as he was, with straps almost four times as long. He looked rather comical with it, actually.

"Yes. You're Ditto?" Nodded Carys. Ditto nodded back.

"You know him?" Asked Ivysaur, staring at the small Pokemon in wonder.

"Yeah, he's here to take us to Eternal Tower. Cresselia told us he'd be here." Meloetta explained. A quiet murmur raced through the crowd at this. Ditto ignored it all; doubtless he was used to such attention. Meloetta had explained earlier at breakfast that Dittos weren't common sights, even in dungeons.

"Just let me know when you're ready." Ditto said amiably, settling himself in the middle of the square.

"Will do." Ezra said as the five headed for the markets.

"Team Banshee, don't worry about items. We'll take care of everything." Assured Ranna as the duo started to head for storage.

"Just bring your normal gear with you, along with the Time Shield, of course." Dyrim nodded.

"Why not?" Asked Ezra.

"We can carry up to 48 items in our bag, which is much more room than we need, honestly. We'd be more than happy to fill it up with what we'll need for Dialga! Honestly, most of our seeds are covered in dust; we rarely use them. It'd be nice getting rid of them." Shrugged Ranna.

"I see." Was all Ezra said.

With that in mind, they focused on their two boxes as the two teams separated to get ready. Sora was more than happy to open the Dainty Box and Heavy Box, which turned out to contain a Heal Seed and Shinx Fang. Ezra and Carys paid Sora his 300 Poke fee, and sold both items in the markets, as they didn't care for either of them. Then came buying supplies from the green Kecleon, then sorting out their items in storage.

When they were all done with their shopping, they set about picking their supplies for the trip. When they were finished with this, their bag consisted of: the Time Shield (naturally), 42 Gravelrocks (They bought a few more at the shop), four apples, three Oran Berries, three Reviver Seeds, two Blast Seeds, two Stun Seeds, two X-Eye Seeds, three Sleep Seeds, and an Escape Orb, plus the Insomniscope and Trap Scarf.

With them ready to go, they met Team Siren near the bank. Team Siren's bag consisted of: 99 Rare Fossils ("It took us only a year to get a full set. Honestly, they just take up storage space." Ranna shrugged.), two Huge Apples, eight Oran Berries, a Pecha Berry, a Chesto Berry, a Rawst Berry, sixteen Reviver Seeds, five X-Eye Seeds, two Blast Seeds, four Sleep Seeds, four Stun Seeds, and three Max Elixirs. Ranna was wearing the ultimate Jigglypuff item, the Snooze Ring, which acted like Flame Body, except the target was put to sleep instead of burned. Dyrim was wearing a Sky Blue Bow around his neck (he explained that the ultimate item for Chimecho, the Chime-Scarf, wouldn't be helpful in the slightest), and Meloetta had a small globe tied around her neck.

The globe was mounted on a stand, and seemed to be stuck there. It looked rather like an opaque snowglobe, to be honest. The sphere itself was plain and white, and the stand was only a silver color, unadorned. Meloetta called it a Joy Globe. It would decrease any damage she took from a fighting-type move. It was the ultimate item for the normal-type.

"Alright. We all ready?" Asked Meloetta as they stood next to Ditto. The other four voiced their confirmation as the town drew closer, eager to see what would happen next

"Alrighty then. Stand back." Said Ditto. They did, and watched in awe as Ditto glowed white, then began to Transform. He grew bigger and bigger, sprouting great wings and multiple legs. When the glow died down, Ezra's jaw dropped open. He had Transformed into a Salamence, big enough to carry all of them to Eternal Tower.

The bag now fit comfortably around his neck, and he positioned the bag so that the straps were facing forward, and the bag itself was facing the sky.

"All aboard!" Boomed Ditto as the crowd gasped in wonder.

Ezra eagerly climbed onto the back of Ditto, where she sat at the small indent where his neck met his back, right behind the bag. The others climbed on, and Ditto prepared to take off.

"We'll be back soon! Take care!" Ranna waved to the town. The residents waved back and wished them good luck.

"Taking off!" Announced Ditto, and Ezra had to hold on tight as the big Pokemon launched himself into the sky.

They went higher, and higher, until they were well above the clouds. Ditto stabilized his flight, and turned to look at the passengers, occasionally flapping his great wings.

"It'll be a few hours until we get to the tower. I trust Milady told you the emergency plan?" He asked.

"Yeah. Go to Abandoned Relic, seek out Reshiram and Zygarde." Meloetta nodded.

"Excellent. Oh, Meloetta, you should look in the bag. There's a gift for you from Xerneas." Ditto nodded at the bag situated in front of Ezra. He clumsily took off the bag with his big burly hands, and handed Ezra the satchel. She gave it to Meloetta, who opened it curiously, then burst out laughing.

Inside the bag was a massive basket of muffins in assorted flavors. There had to be like, fifty in total.

"Oh, he would." Chuckled Meloetta, taking a blueberry muffin and eating it. She bade the others to have some.

"Do you know Xerneas?" Asked Ezra, taking a chocolate-chip muffin from the basket.

"Yes. I met him only once, but it was enough to leave a lasting impression. You see, after I left Singing Hills and before Team Siren was born, I lived in Firewood City, over in the east. It's a giant city, not at all like Lily Town. Anyway, one day I heard that Xerneas would be passing through. I had never met another legendary before, so I decided I would say hi. Well, I walked up to Xerneas, unsure of what to say. He took one look at me, and the first thing out of his mouth was, 'Do you know the Muffin Man'?" Meloetta paused to allow her audience time to laugh and snort with disbelief.

"It's true! I was not expecting anything like that, so I put on my most serious face and told him the address of a baker named Slurpuff, who baked things like cakes and muffins. So, Xerneas's face lit up, and he merrily skipped over to the baker's, shouting 'Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy!' as he did so. The next morning, I woke up with a letter for me, from Xerneas. It read, 'Priceless!', and with it was a freshly-baked blueberry muffin. Xerneas is quite the character, unforgettable, really." She ended the tale.

Everyone laughed heartily.

"What does Xerneas look like?" Asked Ezra.

"Sort of like a giant Sawsbuck, only blue with black feet and X-shaped antlers." Responded Meloetta.

After that, there was only the sounds of munching to be heard from the explorers. All too soon, they could see the crescent-shaped island in the distance.

"Okay, guys. Invisify Orb time." Warned Ditto. The mood turned serious as Carys broke an Invisify Orb, rendering the infiltrators temporarily invisible. They could still see each other, but to anyone else, it would be as if nothing was there.

They held their breaths as they flew into enemy territory. Near the center of the island was a large mountain with the largest fortress Ezra had ever seen on top. It was mainly box-shaped, with a smaller "box" on top and narrow windows. A large spire jutted out from the second "box", and rose high into the sky. They could see flying Pokemon patrolling the airspace around the fortress. They didn't seem to notice the invisible intruders as they flew past from a respectable distance away.

Ezra felt a shudder run through her. So this was where _He_ and Team Renegade lived. She had no idea they had been so close to the fortress when they had arrived at Hidden Ruins...

"The entrance to _His_ realm lies underneath that compound." Said Ditto, watching the fortress warily. "Many of those who enter that place against their will are never seen again..."

They spent the rest of the journey in cautious silence, ears straining to hear an alarm sound from the patrolling Pokemon.

Miraculously, though, they escaped undetected.

* * *

**Eternal Tower ( watch?v=ZEL3_eZIuA)**

Somehow they got to the base of the tower without being seen by the ominous fortress in the distance. It was still visible, even from here.

"Okay...you five better start as soon as possible. I believe Eternal Tower is 25 floors, same as Palkia. Once Dialga's been defeated, don't stick around too long. _He_ will know as soon as Dialga's been gifted his item, and will come to investigate. Don't worry about me. When you five emerge again, I'll Transform back, and we'll get out lickety-split." Cautioned Ditto as he Transformed from a Salamence into a rock while the five stared up at the tower. His bag lay nearby, hidden in some tall weeds. They had broke another Invisify Orb right after they landed.

The tower was navy blue, with no windows and silver steps leading up to the large, cavernous entrance. It was a foreboding-looking place, and they had barely began walking up the steps when a faint roar reached their ears.

"Was that...?" Trailed Ranna.

"Dialga." Answered Meloetta. "Alright...we'll be back as soon as we can, Ditto. You just hang tight." She assured him as the five reached the top of the steps. Ditto nodded, and Team Banshee entered first, then Team Siren.

**1F**

The inside of the tower looked way different from the outside. The floor was made of a blue-gray stone, and the walls were just a dark shade of the same color. White stones were embedded at regular intervals in the floor. It also felt like time had both sped up and slowed down. The feeling was disorienting, and Ezra sought to ignore it.

"Here we are. Dialga's dungeon." Said Ezra, looking around the large chamber. Her eye spotted a Cranidos coming towards them, and an Omanyte was just entering the room as well.

"We've got company." She warned.

"On it." Said Carys as she took out both foes with two quick successions of Razor Leaf.

"Hmm...both of those Pokemon were ancient rock-types...There might be more of them. You'd better lead this time." Mused Ezra. Their odds would be better if the grass-type was in front to deal with the rock-types.

"Sounds like a plan. You ready?" Carys agreed readily.

"I am."

And with that, they set off.

**2F**

Ezra was unfortunate enough to trigger an Explosion Trap near a wall of a chamber. Although the damage was lessened due to her and Carys being ghost-types, the blast was still powerful enough to send them flying through the air, where they landed roughly on the floor.

"Ergh!" Grunted Ezra as she landed, pain flooding her senses. She got up not without some difficulty, and looked at the remnants of the explosion. The blast had blown off much of the nearby wall, but the floor was made of tougher stuff.

"Ugh...I think that blast took away a third my health..." Grimaced Carys beside her as she got up as well.

"Same here. Should we walk it off?" Asked Ezra, nursing a bruised arm from where she landed.

"Yeah...Let's save our Oran Berries for Dialga." Carys nodded stoically.

They limped onward.

**3F**

"Stairs!" Carys shouted right where Ezra's ears would be (if she had any).

"I'm right _here_!" Ezra yelled back, covering the area."

**4F**

As they entered a chamber, they noticed a Cradily inside of it. Unfortunately, it noticed them too. It started shuffling towards them. Carys launched a Razor Leaf at it. Since the Cradily had to pry off its Suction Cups off the ground to move, it was unable to dodge in time.

Snarling, it loomed over the two menacingly. The Cradily then began spitting Gastro Acid all over the duo, suppressing their Abilities temporarily.

"EW! That's disgusting!" Shouted Ezra, suppressing the urge to gag as the waft of the smelly acid hit her. In retaliation, she attempted to hit the foe with Flame Burst, but the Cradily countered with Brine. The two attacks met in the middle, creating a giant cloud of steam.

Together, Ezra and Carys used the Flame-Ball combo at the spot they saw the Cradily at last. Ezra's Flame Burst surrounded Carys' Shadow Ball, and the attack disappeared into the steam cloud. A yelp of pain told them they had hit their mark, and when the steam dissipated, there was no more Cradily.

Much to their relief, the Gastro Acid faded instantly, until soon there was not a trace left of the disgusting stomach goop left on them.

**5F**

They encountered an Aerodactyl in a hall. As they got closer to it, its Pressure hit them like a ton of bricks. They scowled. They'd had enough of Pressure from Palkia, and were soon to face it again with Dialga.

Ezra dove into the wall as Carys turned it into a ghost/rock/flying-type. With a screech, the enemy dove at Carys, catching her in its jaws and Crunching her brutally. Carys screamed, and Ezra wasted no time in attacking it with Night Shade. The Aerodactyl grunted, and spat Carys out, turning around to search for the new attacker. Its beady eyes fell upon Ezra, and she waved at it tauntingly. It snarled, and flew around speedily with Agility. The Aerodactyl faced her, unsure of how to get to her. But it forgot one thing.

Carys had recovered from the agonizing Crunch, and caught the Aerodactyl off guard with Shadow Ball. It fell with a look of surprise on its face.

**6F**

There was an Elgyem with them, as well as the Stairs. Luckily, they were closer to the Stairs than they were to the foe.

**7F**

Whilst wandering through a chamber, Ezra triggered a Seal Trap. She felt a jolt go through her, but otherwise nothing happened. She turned to Carys, confused.

"You can't use a move for the rest of the floor." Carys explained.

"Lemme see which one." Said Ezra, turning to face the nearest wall.

She sent out red waves of energy successfully onto the wall, so she could still use Night Shade. She then willed her flame to spout Embers, which was also successful. She drew power to her flame, and willed it to shoot a volley of fire onto the wall. This too was successful. Already knowing what would happen, she tried to summon a purple wave of energy above her head, but for some reason the power wouldn't form. Try as she might, she was unable to use Hex.

Turning back to Carys, she shrugged. It wasn't too much of a loss to be unable to use Hex for the rest of the floor. She still had Night Shade, after all.

Indeed, there was hardly a difference when the two fought enemies. Ezra still had a back-up ghost-type move in her arsenal, and being temporarily unable to use Hex didn't change a thing.

**8F**

A Beheeyem and Kabuto were in the way. Team Banshee was trying to walk down a short hall, but the two foes refused to let them pass.

"I have Kabuto. You worry about Beheeyem." Said Carys to Ezra.

"Will do." Nodded Ezra as her teammate vanished into the wall. She stepped up to greet her foe, only to be promptly caught in Psychic.

She was raised high into the air, then slammed brutally down to the ground. Ezra picked herself up, and retaliated with Night Shade. The Beheeyem beeped angrily, and sent out a circular, multicolored beam of energy onto Ezra. She felt her Abilities change to just Simple.

"Hey! Stop messing with my body!" She protested, throwing a Hex at it. It dodged, and its head turned transparent blue, creating a sort-of shield. It then threw itself at Ezra, who was unable to dodge the Zen Headbutt.

She was headbutted into the wall Carys had dove into. She felt the wind be knocked out of her lungs upon impact, and she slowly slid down to the floor.

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the pain, and got up unsteadily to her feet. She was taking a beating. This fight needed to end soon. She watched her foe carefully, waiting for it to attack.

When its eyes glowed the telltale Psychic blue, she jumped suddenly, escaping the attack. When the Beheeyem looked up to see her, she unleashed a Night Shade right down on top of its head as she fell.

She landed at the same time Carys defeated the Kabuto.

**9F**

"Race you!" Exclaimed Carys as soon as they spawned.

"What? Oh." Ezra noticed that they had spawned with the Stairs. The two ran as fast as they could, but in the end, Carys won.

**10F**

As they were walking through a chamber, Ezra accidentally triggered a Sticky Trap. Purple gunk shot up from the trap to land all over their held items.

"Argh! Great. Just great." Hissed Ezra as they stopped to inspect their dirty Insomniscope and Trap Scarf. The gunk was all over both items, rendering them both unusable. The gunk fell off their bodies easily enough, but clung tightly to the items.

"Maybe there's a Cleanse Orb somewhere." Sighed Carys.

They looked all over the floor, but they could not find such an Orb. They kept the two items, though, in case their luck changed. The items were too useful to just throw away.

**11F**

There was an Archen coming to block their way in a hall. Ezra dove into the wall beside Carys to help. The Archen started off with Crunch, but Carys was quick to dodge, and just as swiftly counter-attacked with Trick-or-Treat, then Shadow Ball. A second later, Ezra used Night Shade successfully, and there was no longer an Archen blocking their way.

**12F**

After ten minutes of walking through halls and chambers, fighting various Pokemon, they were ecstatic to find a Cleanse Orb lying in a corner of the next chamber they came to.

"Yes!" They both cheered, racing over immediately to the orb.

With much enthusiasm, Ezra broke the orb. A torrent of water poured down upon their heads from above, washing away all traces of gunk from their Insomniscope and Trap Scarf. Ezra was so happy to have her item back, she didn't care that the water temporarily extinguished her flame. As soon as the torrent ended, her flame reignited, good as new.

Speaking of good as new, their items sparkled and shined, as if they hadn't been coated in who knows what just a moment before.

Feeling much better about themselves and their journey, the two squeaky-clean explorers skipped merrily through the rest of the floor, both eating an apple. That bath made them _hungry_.

**13F**

They had spawned with an Armaldo and Torkoal. Ezra went to tangle with Torkoal as Carys fought the Armaldo. Unfortunately, the enemies disagreed. The Torkoal aimed its Flamethrower at Carys, prompting Ezra to dive in front of her friend in an effort to save her. As Ezra was engulfed by the attack, she felt her Flash Fire activate, causing her flame to swell with power.

Carys quickly sent out the twirling lights of Confuse Ray at the Torkoal, and together they faced the Armaldo. It tried to cruelly Slash Ezra with its claws, but the Shiny Litwick jumped out of the way, blasting the foe with Flame Burst as she did so. The Armaldo roared in pain, and managed to catch her with Crush Claw. But the attack wasn't that harmful to Ezra.

Carys got its attention with Razor Leaf, and the Pumpkaboo received a Brine for her trouble. The Armaldo turned back to Ezra just in time to be defeated by another Flame Burst.

With that foe out of the way, they turned back to the Torkoal, who was just getting over its confusion. They surprised it with a Hex-Shadow Ball combo, and the foe literally blew steam out of its nose.

All fired up, it tried again to hit Carys with Flamethrower, but Ezra took the attack for her friend yet again, her flame rising almost to the ceiling with pure power. The Torkoal blanched, seeing what it had done. It didn't object when Ezra put it out of its misery with Ember.

—**Waypoint—**

The waypoint looked exactly like the first half of the dungeon, only with Team Siren and the Kangaskhan Rock waiting for them.

"Sup? Having fun?" Grinned Meloetta as Ezra touched the Rock.

"Define 'fun'." Responded Ezra, causing Team Siren to laugh.

"We're halfway done. Just a little further to go." Ranna said encouragingly. Ezra groaned.

"Ugh, I can't wait for all this to be over! I need a nice dip in the hot springs by town after this." She grumbled, flopping down onto the ground. She hadn't realized how tired she was with all this fighting and rigorous exploring.

"Mmm. Good idea. When we get home, let's see if we can picnic by the springs for dinner." Mused Meloetta.

"Ooh, now you're talking!" Carys sighed in bliss.

"Sandwiches and swimming...I approve." Smiled Dyrim.

The five rested for a few minutes, but all too soon it was time to get going again.

"How are you guys doing on supplies?" Asked Meloetta as they all prepared to set off again.

"Just fine." Said Ezra.

"Good. Well, see you at the top." Meloetta smiled as her team entered the second half.

A moment later, a loud roar echoed throughout the chamber. Dialga must know they were inside. Shuddering, Team Banshee pressed on.

**Eternal Spire ( watch?v=kMEh8pf9w5E)**

**1F**

Now the area had changed to a navy stone floor, with silver walls. Tiny blue diamonds were encrusted in the walls, and black pebbles littered the floor.

"Oh wow." Marveled Ezra, taking in the scenery.

The atmosphere had grown even more ethereal, and now Ezra wasn't sure whether she was in the past, present, or future. She felt like she wasn't part of this universe anymore. It was...kinda unsettling, to be honest.

"Twelve more floors." She said faintly.

"More like eleven. We have Stairs with us!" Carys cheered.

"Do you hear that?" Asked Ezra. If she listened closely, she could faintly hear the ticking of a clock. Carys paused.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do. A clock ticking. I guess it makes sense, huh? This being the lord of time's home and all." She said in a strange voice.

Gingerly, the two ascended the Stairs, the faint ticking sound always in the background.

**2F**

They spawned in with an Omastar, whose back was turned to them. The multi-armed foe was surprised by Carys' Razor Leaf, and was too slow in dodging Ezra's Hex, which came a split second later. It fell to the ground, still looking surprised.

**3F**

Much to their delight, they came across a Kecleon Shop. Even more to their delight, the shopkeeper had a Luminous Orb for sale. Team Banshee quickly bought the orb, and bid farewell to the seller.

They decided they would save the orb for the last floor.

**4F**

They found a Sigilyph in the hall they were walking through. With a screech, the thing whipped up razor-sharp winds and hurled the Air Slash at Carys, who barely managed to dodge by diving into the wall at the last second, leaving Ezra to take the attack.

"Oof!" She said as the attack hit her, sending her back a few feet. Rubbing the impacted area, she dove headfirst into the fight, searing the Sigilyph with Flame Burst. The weird bird-thing squawked indignantly, and promptly hit her with a Flame Burst of its own! Luckily, all it did was trigger her Flash Fire.

"Mirror Move. Don't use your ghost-type moves." Carys advised from the wall as she tried to land a Confuse Ray onto the Sigilyph. It dodged the twirling purple lights, and threw another Air Slash at Ezra, who nimbly side-stepped and hit the foe with another Flame Burst.

The foe prepared to use Mirror Move, but was permanently stopped by Carys' unexpected Shadow Ball.

"Whew! Thanks for that." Said Ezra, panting, as she rubbed her cheek, where the first Air Slash had hit her.

"No prob." Said Carys as they got to walking again.

**5F**

A Mamoswine and Relicanth were blocking their way in a corridor.

"I got Relicanth!" Shouted Carys as she phased into the wall to deal with the water-type.

The Mamoswine saw fit to begin the fight with a good Thrashing. Ezra was hit over and over by its tusks, which fortunately didn't do a whole lot of damage. After the attack ended, the foe paused, dizzy from fatigue.

Seizing her chance, Ezra hit the massive Pokemon with Flame Burst and Ember. She was about to finish it off with another Ember, but just then it snapped out of its confusion, and hit her with a regular attack.

"Really?" Ezra raised an eyebrow as she defeated the Twin Tusk Pokemon with Ember. Regular attacks didn't do much damage to her, a ghost-type. It was weird, but she wasn't complaining.

She saw that Carys was still struggling with the Relicanth, so she happily surprised the water-type with Hex. Luckily, this was enough to defeat it.

"Show off." Carys grumbled good-naturedly as she returned to the dungeon proper.

**6F**

"Stairs! I missed you!" Carys said, nuzzling the Stairs.

**7F**

There was a Shieldon and Anorith, respectively, in a hall. Carys, who was leading, suggested she take Anorith, to which Ezra readily agreed.

Ezra started off with Flame Burst, to which the Shieldon responded with by forming a large, silver ball in front of its mouth. The Flame Burst engulfed both the ball and the Shieldon, who threw the ball straight at Ezra.

She grunted as she was hit by the Metal Burst, but since it was a steel-type move, didn't do too much damage to her.

"Nice try." She panted as she hit it yet again with Flame Burst. The Shieldon tanked the attack, and dove at her, its head glowing opaque white.

Ezra created a small trench as the Shieldon's Iron Head forced her into the ground. She climbed out of the rut, spitting out dirt as she did so. Okay. She was mad now.

"Er-yah!" She yelled as she summoned power to her flame, then threw this Flame Burst at the foe. It merely surrounded itself in a red aura, effectively Enduring the attack, but just barely.

"Faint already!" Ezra seethed as she dove into her trench to escape the foe's Ancient Power. She peeked her head out long enough to snipe it down with Ember.

When she got out from the hole, she saw that Carys was waiting for her.

"Had fun playing tag with Shieldon?" She asked.

Ezra only snorted.

**8F**

They found a Claydol and Yamask in a chamber they had just entered. Carys went to deal with Claydol as Ezra took care of the Yamask.

The Yamask quickly averaged out its attack, special attack, defense, and special defense with Ezra using Power Split and Guard Split in quick succession.

Ezra felt her defense increase a little, her attack remain the same, her special defense increase slightly, and her special attack weaken. She scowled. Litwicks' greatest strength lay in their special attack, but if this Yamask wanted to even the playing field, she would be most delighted to teach not to mess with her.

It sent out a Shadow Ball at her, which she easily dodged. She threw a Hex at it, but to her annoyance, it was much weaker than it should be. The Yamask easily took the attack without complaint.

"Hey Carys? How's it going?" She called, dodging another Shadow Ball.

"Almost done!" Carys shouted as her foe's Earth Power shook the floor. All Pokemon were affected by the attack. Carys only flinched, being resistant to ground-type moves, but Ezra screamed as the earth struck her from below. The Yamask wailed as well, but to a lesser degree.

Carys quickly dispatched her foe with Razor Leaf, then ran to help Ezra, who was kneeling on the ground, struggling to get up.

"Get...that Yamask..." Ezra gritted her teeth, forcing herself to get up. It was difficult, but she managed to do so.

"On it." Said Carys as she KO'd the pesky Yamask with Shadow Ball.

Ezra refused Carys' offered Oran Berry, preferring to tough it out on her own. The pain would lessen the more she walked.

**9F**

Ezra accidentally triggered a Grudge Trap as they were walking out of their spawn chamber. This time, she felt drained, as if she was too tired to attack.

"Oh no, a Grudge Trap." Groaned Carys. "They're like a Seal Trap, only permanent. One of your moves will be unusable for the rest of the dungeon."

"No!" Gasped Ezra, shocked. Which move couldn't she use? A quick test resulted in Ember being the unusable move. Whenever she tried to use Ember, a sudden wave of lethargy overcame her, and faded when she stopped trying to use the attack.

"Well...Ember's your weakest move, so I guess that's good?" Carys said encouragingly.

"I suppose." Responded Ezra, giving up on trying to power through the lethargy. No matter what she tried, she simply could not use Ember anymore. And nothing they had with them would fix that.

Well, Carys was right. At least it wasn't Flame Burst or her other powerful attacks.

**10F**

There was a Rampardos with them when they spawned. It kicked off the fight with Assurance, bashing Ezra on the head with its cranium, dashing her to the ground, dazed.

"Ez!" Cried Carys, who promptly tore into the foe with Razor Leaf. The Rampardos roared, and smacked Carys with its Endeavor, causing her to lose massive amounts of health.

"Ezra, I could use some help!" Carys wailed as she dodged an Assurance.

"On it..." Ezra said, her head pounding from that attack. Trying to ignore the pain, she aimed a Night Shade at the Rampardos. It went wide, however, and the Rampardos turned its attention to her. This was a mistake, however, as Carys had been waiting for it to do just that.

With a yell, Carys launched another Razor Leaf at the target, who was too slow to dodge. It fell with a great thump, causing the ground to tremble for a second.

"Ugh, thanks." Ezra winced, holding a hand to her head.

"Yeah." Carys said, equally pained.

The two spent the rest of the floor walking it off, preferring to save their health items for the top of the tower.

**11F**

As the two headed for the Stairs, which had spawned with them, Ezra triggered a Warp Trap.

"Really?" She scowled at the universe when she landed in a room with two Torkoal.

She didn't have to worry about fighting, however. A few seconds later, she felt the familiar tug that meant Carys had ascended to the next floor.

**12F**

Since it was the last floor, it was time to break the Luminous Orb. Ezra quickly broke it, and led Carys all the way to the other side of the floor, where the Stairs to Dialga lay. There was a sleeping Lileep in the room, but the duo made no move to wake it.

"Dialga awaits beyond these Stairs. You ready to face him?" Asked Ezra to Carys.

"Yeah. We have Team Siren on our side; of _course_ we're going to win!" Carys responded cheerily. But there was something in her voice that sounded as if she was nervous. Ezra didn't blame her. Team Siren or no, they were about to fight a major legendary once more. Who knows what would await them? Would Dialga send Meloetta to the past? Or would some other calamity befall them?

Ezra slapped herself mentally. This was no time to be having doubts; not when Arceus could die at any second! The longer she stayed here, the less she was willing to ascend those Stairs.

"Come on. Let's do this before we change our mind." She said, trying to sound brave.

"Yeah." Carys agreed, sounding as if she had the same doubts as well.

Like they did in Astral Rift, they ascended wordlessly.

* * *

**Of course the music is Temporal Tower; there is no choice about it! Speaking of music, I want to try something a little different with the boss battle music. I'll understand if it's not to your liking. I just thought it would be...fitting. **

**The next post shall contain:a maddened legendary, unsettling images, and the best info ever.**


	68. Chapter 68

**Quick note regarding music: unfortunately, it doesn't loop back on itself; rather, you'll have to start it over. Thought I'd warn you. You can always just rewind to the spot you'd think it'd loop back on.**

* * *

**Eternal Tower Pinnacle**

The room they arrived in was similar in design to the latter half of the dungeon, only the ticking sound was louder. Ezra still had to make a conscious effort to hear it, but even so it was noticeably more audible in the vast blue room.

"Hey you guys!" Said Meloetta's voice from the far end of the room, where they were handling the last and final Shard.

"Here we are. Dialga's chamber." Admired Dyrim, gazing around the room.

"I'll take that Shard." Offered Ezra, coming over to the trio. When she touched the Shard, however, no visions flitted through her mind. She almost dropped it in surprise. All the others had given the holder visions of whatever type the fragment was. Ranna saw her face.

"It's the normal Shard; of course it doesn't do anything!" She explained, laughing. Team Siren seemed awfully cheerful despite the intensity of the situation.

"O-oh..." Said Ezra, tucking the Shard away.

"Now that we have all 18 Shards, we should get to fighting." Said Meloetta, putting her hands on her hips.

"Dialga should be here any second. Palkia appeared soon after we and Team Lunar Wind arrived in his chamber." Speculated Carys.

As if on cue, a great guttural roar came from seemingly nowhere and everywhere, just like with Palkia.

"Ooh. He's coming." Breathed Ranna, shivering in excitement.

"We haven't had a good fight in ages!" Laughed Meloetta.

"_**GROOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_ Came Dialga's roar. It sounded faint, almost as if it was occurring in the past, or even in the future.

"Here he comes. Carys, keep off the grass-type moves. He's a steel/dragon-type. If you can Trick-or-Treat him, that'd help a bunch." Meloetta warned, getting into a fighting stance. Four short tremors shook the room. Dialga must be coming.

"Hey, what does Dialga look like, anyway?" Asked Ezra. Cresselia hadn't shown them.

Team Siren had no time to reply, because at that moment, Dialga himself appeared.

"_**GYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_ The lord of time howled, warping time to appear in front of them.

Dialga was actually much smaller than Ezra had imagined. She had only come up to Palkia's ankle, but now she came up to Dialga's mid-thigh. This was an unexpected—yet oddly pleasant—change.

The lord of time was mainly colored blue, with light blue markings all over his body. He stood on four legs as thick as Ezra's body, and there were gray armor-like appendages attached to his head, legs, chest, and back. There was a blue diamond embedded in his gray chest. He loomed over the five ominously, then without warning, he grew even bigger. One moment he was the size of a Tyranitar, the next he was taller than a Gyarados.

Ezra felt her heart leap into her throat. Now she came up to Dialga's ankle, just like before. Well. This was downer.

"He's so confused, he can't stay in one age." Whispered Meloetta as she gazed upon the great entity.

"What do you mean?" Asked Ezra nervously, finding her voice.

"I think he just turned from Baby Dialga to Adult Dialga." Dyrim gulped.

"Wait, what?" Demanded Carys.

"_**OOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!**_" Roared Dialga, lifting a massive forefoot. The five jumped out of the way before they were squished by the rampaging legendary.

* * *

**BOSS BATTLE! ( watch?v=8_OSWJeVTg0)**

"Unfortunately, my offensive moves won't be very effective against him. But, I can at least drain his attack and special attack to the minimum." Sighed Dyrim as Dialga turned to face them, his Pressure making them all flinch for a second.

"I can use my Sing/Wake-Up Slap combo, or I can just keep him asleep." Offered Ranna, speaking quickly.

"No, use the combo. We've brought plenty of seeds with us, plus your Wake-Up Slap will be super effective." Meloetta shook her head.

"Why are we discussing strategy _now_?" Demanded Ezra.

"No time to talk! Just fight!" Shouted Meloetta as her team dove headfirst into the fight.

Ranna stood in front of the Temporal Pokemon, Singing a melody that caused him to pause. He hesitated, then started to lie down, as if he was sleepy. Even Carys and Ezra found themselves yawning from the song.

Then Dialga shook his head, and stood back up.

"_**NO!"**_ He shouted, creating a white ball in front of his mouth. A split-second later, he fired a massive white beam at Ranna, completely enveloping her. The poor Jigglypuff crumpled to the ground, and was revived a moment later.

At the same time this was happening, Meloetta ran behind Dialga and surrounded herself in a white aura, singing a haunting melody that reminded Ezra of ancient days. The pulse from the Relic Song directly hit Dialga, who didn't seem to even notice the move as he prepared his Flash Cannon. Then Meloetta began to transform into her other form. Her "hair", eyes, and gem turned brown, and her "dress" hiked upwards, like a tutu. Her "hair" also pulled itself up in a beehive-like fashion. In short, she now looked like a ballet dancer.

Meanwhile, Dyrim had began Growling and Confiding at Dialga, trying to lower his attack and special attack as much as possible. He was too slow to stop Dialga's Flash Cannon from KOing Ranna, but after she fainted he increased his attacks fervently.

Ezra and Carys were too busy watching the trio fight as this was happening, marveling at their teamwork

"Come on!" Shouted Meloetta impatiently as she dashed forward to Dialga, jumping high into the air. She then performed a series of quick kicks and punches to Dialga's body.

"Hi-yah!" She screamed as she delivered a particularly nasty-looking roundhouse kick to the large Pokemon. Dialga roared in pain, knocking her out of the air with a sweep of an Iron Tail. While he didn't feel her Relic Song, apparently he _did_ feel her Close Combat. Meloetta slammed into the wall, creating a foot-long hole where she landed.

Dialga turned to face the remaining four, and promptly shrunk in size. He wasn't as tall as Baby Dialga had been, so perhaps he was now Young Adult Dialga? Either way, this didn't seem to bother him as his diamond glowed blue, and the gray fins on his back began to grow in size. He formed an indigo ball in front of his mouth, then released a large, indigo beam that he swung around the chamber as the four scrambled to avoid being hit. Dialga moved his head so that the beam would catch anyone who tried to run. Carys and Dyrim were hit, then Ezra as she ran under Dialga's body.

As she was enveloped completely by the beam, she felt nothing but intense agony all around her, inside her mind, until she could no longer think. As her mind drifted away, trying to protect her from the torment, Ezra was greeted with a hallucination.

_She blinked, opening her eye. She didn't feel the pain from the attack anymore. In fact, she felt as if it were a normal day. Strange, it seemed as if this was a lucid hallucination. She knew she was dreaming, but it seemed she couldn't move, try as she might. She focused on her surroundings, trying to see where she was. To her surprise, she was back in the port city she had seen in Palkia's Spacial Rend! _

_She then realized she was sitting on something. She couldn't look down to see what it was, but somehow she knew she was sitting on a wooden pier. Then her vision shifted to focus on the horizon, as if someone was moving their head. She saw large boats come and go, each more luxurious than the last. She felt herself inhale the salty scent of the ocean, then the vision turned to the right, where she watched Timburrs load and unload a huge cargo ship as the sun began to set. _

_She heard a fast_ thump-thump _sound behind her, as if someone was running towards her._

"_Ezra!" She heard a girl's voice squeal, "Mrs. Alice's daughter finally outgrew her sweater, and she said I could have it as an early Christmas gift!"_

"_That's awesome!" She nearly fainted. That was _her_ voice! "You've needed a new one for what, two years now?" What was she doing in this unfamiliar city? She didn't remember this!_

"_Yeah. " The girl's voice said. "Hey, what are you doing by the docks, anyway? It's almost time for dinner!"_

"_I just wanted to watch the sailors. I wish I could travel the world like they can. One day, I will." Ezra's voice said. The vision moved upwards rapidly, as if someone had stood up. The vision turned to face the girl, but all went black before Ezra could see the other person..._

There was a flash of white, and she opened her eye to find that she was back in Eternal Tower. Carys and Dyrim were shaking their heads, as if they had just been revived. They looked as confused as Ezra felt.

"Watch out for Dialga's Roar of Time!" Shouted Meloetta grimly, climbing out of the hole and eating an Oran Berry.

Roar of Time? Was that the indigo beam? Wait...did she dream that entire thing in just the blink of an eye? What was going on?

She had no more time to think, as Dialga was revving up another Roar of Time.

Quick as a flash, Meloetta ran in front of Dialga, and began doing an odd dance. She kept tottering over and over, botching the dance horribly. Dialga paused, and his eyes went glassy.

"_**GYAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" **_He screeched, aiming the beam at the ceiling. The Roar of Time broke through the roof and into the sky above.

"Come on, attack him! My Teeter Dance won't last long!" Yelled Meloetta, beginning another round of Close Combat. She jumped in the air, brutally punching and kicking Dialga's chestplate. The legendary roared, and tried to hit her with Flash Cannon, but Carys deftly threw a Sleep Seed in his open mouth, and the large Pokemon fell to the ground in a heap, sound asleep. He shifted back to Adult Dialga.

Meloetta fell to the ground, panting hard. "Ah...gonna need to take one for the team soon." She gritted her teeth.

"How so?" Asked Ezra as she ran up to the gargantuan foe. She summoned a volley of fire to her flame, and willed it to singe her opponent. Her Flame Burst was a success, and so was Carys' Trick-or-Treat.

"Ugh...can only use one more Close Combat, I think. We brought Max Elixirs, but why waste them when fainting restores move energy anyway?" Meloetta said, lobbing a Rare Fossil at Dialga.

"It does?" Ezra asked as she tossed a Night Shade at Dialga, who woke suddenly.

With a great roar of anger, he hit the closest Pokemon with an unexpected Iron Tail. The closest Pokemon happened to be Ranna, but miraculously she survived the attack. She was flung face-first into the back wall, but somehow she didn't faint.

Dyrim finished Confiding in Dialga.

"There! I can't Growl or Confide any longer; his attacks are as weak as they'll ever be!" He said, shaking off sweat on his brow, as Dialga turned into Baby Dialga. That certainly explained why Ranna survived the devastating steel-type blow. Together, Ezra and Carys assaulted Dialga with Hex and Shadow Ball.

"_**ENOUGH!" **_Shouted Dialga, charging up another Roar of Time. This time, the blast caught Meloetta, and the minor legendary fainted. A brilliant beam of white surrounded her, and she was back in action, this time in her Aria Form.

Meanwhile, Ranna had fallen asleep using Rest, restoring her health. This was a risky move, to leave herself vulnerable like that, but she was not without her tricks. Using Sleep Talk, Ranna rose, and promptly smacked Dialga's foot with Wake-Up Slap, all while sleeping. Dialga kicked her away, while Meloetta once again used Relic Song as Dyrim tossed a Rare Fossil at him.

Thanks to Meloetta's Serene Grace, Dialga was put to sleep by the haunting melody. Ranna's Sing hadn't been strong enough to subdue the legendary, but since Meloetta was a legendary herself, the attack was _just_ powerful enough to do the job. She launched another Close Combat as Ezra hit Adult Dialga's leg with Hex, Carys attacked with Shadow Ball, and Dyrim with a Rare Fossil. Ranna was still snoozing nearby.

Although Meloetta was strong enough to make Dialga fall asleep, she didn't have the power to keep a Pokemon like him asleep for very long. Dialga woke, and, upon seeing his attackers, promptly unleashed another Roar of Time, one that caught everyone minus Ranna.

As the indigo wave of sheer _agony_ washed over Ezra once more, another hallucination greeted her.

_This time, she was on top of an ethereal tower that was quickly falling to pieces, one that stood high above the clouds, allowing her to see across the entire land. She was not focused on the scenery, however. _

_In front of her stood Formora, who was watching her warily with a crazed look in her eyes. Behind her...behind her lay Arceus Itself! It was encased in a green bubble of...something. Its head was bowed, and it gave no sign whatsoever that It was alive. At Its feet lay all eighteen Shards, but the relics didn't appear to be doing anything to Arceus._

_She became aware of her deep, panicked breath, and that her heart was racing in her chest. The vision whipped to the left sharply, where the fallen forms of Carys, Kialandi, and Firnen lay. They too gave no signs of life._

"_They can't help you now. It's time, Ezra, time at last!" Formora said, laughing maniacally._

She then found herself back in Eternal Tower on her stomach, gasping for breath as the last waves of pain ebbed away. She struggled to pull herself up into a sitting position, wondering what was going on. Dialga's Roars of Time were making her hallucinate. Or...were they more than just hallucinations? No time to think about the visions; right now, she needed to focus on defeating Dialga, who had switched to Young Adult form and was currently busy smacking Carys around with Iron Tail.

"Carys!" She croaked, every bone on her body protesting as she got to her feet. Ugh, why did she feel so weak? Normally she felt refreshed every time she was revived.

Her eye caught sight of Dyrim, who was trying to wake the still-sleeping Ranna. He succeeded, and left her to resume lobbing Rare Fossils at Dialga. Her memory caught up to her. Dyrim had minimized Dialga's attack and special attack. That was why she was so weak; she had survived the Roar of Time!

"Have an Oran Berry, friend." Said Ranna, passing Ezra an Oran Berry as she ran to throw a Sleep Seed at Dialga.

The seed went in his mouth at the same time Ezra ate the berry. But while Dialga collapsed to the ground, Ezra stood up straighter, feeling _so much better_.

"We're almost there, I can feel it!" Exclaimed Meloetta. The five attacked simultaneously: Ezra with Hex, Carys with Shadow Ball, Ranna with Wake-Up Slap, Dyrim with Echoed Voice, and Meloetta with Close Combat.

Dialga woke and turned to Baby Dialga just before Meloetta delivered a powerful kick to Dialga's front left knee. Everyone could hear the _**crack**_ as she broke his kneecap. Ezra winced. She did _not_ want to be Dialga right now.

"_**GAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!" **_Dialga roared in agony. He lifted the injured leg, and wailed once more. His tail glowed white, and he whipped around as fast as he could, sending Dyrim and Carys sprawling into the left wall.

"I didn't mean to break his leg!" Meloetta gasped, horrified. Then she paused. "But...I guess it'll help us." She said uneasily, looking as if she'll be sick.

Not quite done with his tantrum, Dialga charged up another Roar of Time. As he did in the beginning, he swept the beam around the room, targeting the remaining three. Ezra was hit first by the attack, then Meloetta, then Ranna.

As she took a bath in pain for the third time now, another hallucination was thrown at her.

_This time, she was experiencing the vision from third-person, and she could move. The scenery appeared to be in the far north, as there was nothing but ice and snow for miles and miles. She heard a squelching sound behind her, and she turned, only to gasp in utmost horror. _

_There was Formora, standing by what appeared to be the entrance to Frigid Tundra, which was surrounded by two ice walls. She had taken a large wooden stake, and had skewered Ezra's broken and lifeless body through her eye next to the opening. Her dead body sagged with the weight of gravity on it. Formora laughed, clearly pleased with herself. She took another stake and aimed it at Ezra's body, but paused, as if contemplating whether one stake or two would do. She apparently decided on just one, for she dropped the stake, and departed into the dungeon._

She gasped as she woke back in Eternal Tower, her body screaming in agony with each rugged breath. She had survived another Roar of Time, by the feel of it. She was starting to think the one-hit KO Roar of Time was better than the weakened one...

But that hallucination though...she had definitely been dead in that one. Did...did that mean she would lose, and Formora would win? The thought sent chills down her spine.

She looked over to Dyrim and Carys, who were also looking battered and nonplussed. They must have seen a vision as well. Did they see the vision Ezra saw?

Ezra was so absorbed in the disturbing image that she failed to notice Adult Dialga's Flash Cannon bearing down on her head. While the attack had been weakened severely, she too had just been weakened severely as well. Ezra's attention was forced to return to the battle as she fainted.

When she revived, she witnessed Meloetta, grimacing every time she moved, begin another round of Close Combat. But Dialga, thoroughly maddened by both rage and pain, blasted her where she stood with Aura Sphere. A brilliant white beam shone down upon her, and she resumed the battle, this time throwing an X-Eye Seed into Dialga's screaming mouth.

The Temporal Pokemon swallowed it, and his eyes went cross-eyed. He tried to take a step forward, but his broken leg made him stumble and fall to the ground. He bellowed in anguish at the top of his lungs, causing everyone to put their hands over their ears (or, in the case of Dyrim and Carys, flinch and hope he'd stop soon). It was clear his broken leg had weakened him, but the pain only seemed to increase his fury. Perhaps if they broke another knee, that would do the job?

As Baby Dialga struggled to get back up, the five resumed their attack. Ezra attempted to singe his head with Flame Burst, but Dialga turned into a baby at the last second and the volley went wide. Ranna threw a Sleep Seed at him, then promptly woke him back up with Wake-Up Slap. Dyrim lobbed another Rare Fossil, and the heavy thing landed right on his broken kneecap, causing Dialga to screech loudly. Carys used Shadow Ball once more, and Meloetta broke into another round of Close Combat—this time aiming for his _good_ foreleg.

"_**YAH!**_" Meloetta shouted as she delivered the last blow to the area with all her might. Dyrim and Ranna helped their leader with a simultaneous Rare Fossil and Wake-Up Slap to the right foreleg three seconds after Meloetta ended her Close Combat. There was another sickening _**crack**_ as Dialga's other front patella was shattered, leaving him completely unable to stand.

Dialga gave another ear-splitting bellow, and his eyes returned to normal. He attempted to stand, but each attempt resulted in him screaming in pain as he tried to move his broken legs. The five ran straight for his back legs, intending to weaken him further. But Dialga, as if sensing what they were doing, aimed a Roar of Time underneath his belly, right where the five were standing.

All five fighters were thrown headfirst ten feet into the front wall. It was worth it, though, as Dialga could not handle any more pain. Keening pitifully, the gargantuan Pokemon trembled, then fell on his side. The tremor could be felt for a mile around. But the five weren't aware of this just yet. They were all experiencing more hallucinations, each different from the last...

_Ezra was yet again in an unfamiliar place, and she could not move. She seemed to be in an underground dungeon of some sort, as the room was lit only by a few stubby candles. The walls and floor were made of perfectly smooth black stone, and it was unnaturally chilly. The air was stale, and Ezra could see someone's breath form with each exhale in front of her. She was facing a blank wall with no door, no decorations, nothing. The vision shifted slowly upwards, then down, and back and forth, as if someone was inspecting the bare room._

"_I watched him kill my best friend, and there was nothing I could do about it!" Sobbed an unknown woman's voice from behind her. _

Yep, there was the pain again. She returned to reality once more, aching all over. She found that she was deep inside a wall, no thanks to Roar of Time. Strange, she could see Dialga, and he wasn't moving. Had he finally fallen? There was only one way to find out.

Sucking in a breath as she forced herself to a crawling position, she bit back moan after moan as she slowly dragged herself out of the hole. She fell to the ground unceremoniously, wailing as the fresher sting of pain washed over her. She lay still, trying not to give her body a reason to protest her actions.

As she laid there, she could hear moans and grunts as the other four dropped to the floor as well. A few seconds later, she felt something nudge her. She opened her eye to find Meloetta offering her an Oran Berry. Eagerly, she ate it, sighing in relief as the pain went away at once.

Once everyone had been healed, they turned to look at the fallen Dialga. It was not a pleasant sight, seeing the lord of time unconscious with two broken legs. It wasn't something they wanted to remember.

Quickly, the five brought out the Time Shield from Team Banshee's bag, and hauled it over to Dialga. They shoved one of his back legs into the strap, as his front legs were now useless. As soon as they let go of the shield, Dialga stirred.

* * *

"_**Ugh...ergh..."**_ He murmured, attempting to stand. He howled when he tried to move his legs, and instead settled for watching the five as they walked into his view.

"_**Who...are you? How...dare you...enter..."**_ He demanded.

"Lord Dialga, we are Teams Siren and Banshee. We—"

"_**Siren and Banshee? Hmm...Quintessence, Vitality, Typhoon—ah, yes, Siren and Banshee. I remember what time period I'm in now." **_Dialga interrupted Meloetta, reverting back into his Adult size. His voice sounded strained, and it was no wonder. He had to contend with two broken knees.

"Who're Team Typhoon?" Ranna asked curiously.

"_**They haven't been born yet. Stop asking questions.**_** You**_** should be answering **_**me**_**!" **_Dialga rumbled angrily.

"We came here to return your Time Shield, Lord Dialga. Your wayward brother—you know the one—caused space and time to rip, sending you and Palkia to insanity." Explained Ezra. Dialga settled his eyes on her, and Ezra tried to not to flinch as she was being scrutinized by the giant Pokemon.

"..._**Why are my legs broken?**_**"**He growled.

"We, uh, didn't mean to..." Squeaked Dyrim.

"How could we have shattered your legs? We're not _that_ powerful." Asked Meloetta.

"_**I recall a bit from the battle. I had turned into my youngest self, yes?" **_Replied Dialga.

"Uh, yes. Both times." Nodded Ranna, after a moment of thought.

"_**Well **_**there's **_**your answer. I was a baby. Baby bones are pretty much useless. Ergh, and naturally the fractures just **_**had**_** to carry over to my other selves...Anyway, what do you want? Obviously you came here for some reason." **_Grumbled Dialga.

"Like we said, we came to return your Time Shield. Oh, and also to get the Shard of the Original One that your brother made you guard." Said Carys.

"_**Bah! You trespass on my land, break my legs, and give me my item only for the madness to return—yes, I can feel it already-shortly after? You've got some nerve!" **_Shouted Dialga.

"_**Although, now that I think about it, if you succeed with my creator...yes, I will not have to worry about my mind being stolen from me for eons to come. And if you fail...Hm. I see that madness would be the least of my worries. Ergh, very well, I forgive you. But only just." **_Mused Dialga, rolling his eyes.

"Er...thanks?" Replied Ezra, unsure of how to take that.

"_**Before I descend back into insanity, the Powers That Be decree that I, as Lord of Time, must ask heroes if they need anything from me upon my defeat. So, what do you want?" **_Sighed Dialga.

"We saw visions in your Roar of Time!" Meloetta blurted out, looking shaken. What had she seen to make her sound so frightened?

"_**Well of course you did; it's the **_**Roar of Time**_** for my creator's sake!" **_Dialga rolled his eyes.

"But I saw two conflicting visions. One of me lying cold and dead underneath a tree in the winter, the other of me, Meloetta, and Ranna exploring a watery dungeon in spring!" Protested Dyrim.

"_**Meh. The correct vision depends on the Litwick over there. Yes, I know you're the Chosen One and all that. I can tell you're not from here; you stick out like a Tepig in a snowstorm!" **_Replied Dialga, nodding his head at Ezra.

"_**What you saw was the future, from the sound of it. If the Litwick dies, you'll die. If she wins, you'll be alive to do whatever it is Chimechos do. Is that all? Can I go back to lying here in silent agony now?" **_Demanded Dialga.

Inspiration came to Ezra.

"Wait! Do you know where the Space Globe is?" She asked. Dialga paused for a long moment.

"_**The Space Globe? What, it's not with the Original One? Hm. The only other place I can think it'd be is in the Primordial Chamber."**_ Mused Dialga.

"The Primordial Chamber?" Echoed Carys.

"_**Yes. It was where I, my brothers, and the Creation Trio were born. The Chamber is at the very end of a dungeon called Primordial Ruins. 25 floors. You know where Destiny Ridge is? Good, good. The Ruins are fifteen miles northeast of there. The dungeon is hidden behind an oak tree as thick as Palkia's skull. Can't miss it." **_Answered Dialga.

"Thank you, My Lord. Your information might have just saved us all." Meloetta nodded solemnly.

"_**Oh, Arceus, **_**stop**_**! Your praise is more agonizing than the pain in my legs, Melody legendary. Leave, all of you, and let me sit here in tormented silence." **_Dismissed Dialga, moaning.

"But—" began Carys.

"_**LEAVE**_!" Roared Dialga.

The five left.

* * *

Ditto Transformed back into a Salamence the moment he saw the five race out of the tower.

"Go go go!" He shouted, breaking an Invisify Orb as the five climbed on his back. A faint roar came from the tower. Dialga had either tried to stand again, or he had descended back into madness. Maybe even both.

Ditto took off without preamble. It was a much rougher flight than when he had brought them there; he was going for speed, not comfort. And it was a good thing, too.

Far in the distance, towards the ominous fortress, faint specs of color were fast approaching the tower. The six Pokemon held their breaths as the Dark forces sped towards them. Meloetta and Ezra stood on Ditto's back, preparing to shoot the enemies down if they were spotted.

But miraculously, the flying foes ignored the invisible Pokemon as they zoomed for the tower until the dungeon was surrounded in flying-type Pokemon.

The six did not dare relax until they were miles into the mainland.

"That...was tense." Dyrim said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"But we made it. Carys, there's a Radar Orb in the bag. Would you break it for me, please? I want to make sure we're not being followed." Ditto asked.

Carys did as he asked, and after a few tense moments, gave the all-clear. No foes were following them.

Ditto wanted to know all that had happened, and so the five spent the rest of the journey telling him all about their exploration of Eternal Tower.

* * *

**Lily Town**

Ditto didn't stick around after he landed in town. He said there was something else he needed to take care of immediately. Transforming into a Pidgey, he flew off.

The town was not a little horrified when the five retold the story. The part they didn't like was the breaking of Dialga's kneecaps. Ezra did not blame them. Such an action was already despicable, but to do it to a major legendary that would soon lose control of his actions? Unthinkable.

"You broke his kneecaps in order to prevent him from moving? Hm." Victini thought.

"I suppose that's for the best. Dialga's no pushover, and forcing him to lie still would keep him from rampaging." She concluded after a moment's thought.

"I can probably get a couple splints on him, if I knew what I was doing and had the right materials." Offered Hoopa.

"I can assist." Sora nodded.

"Are we seriously forgiving such a heinous act just like that?" Demanded Pancham.

"What's done is done. This is war, and war is not pretty." Victini stalked up to him, glaring profusely until he lowered his eyes.

"We'll try not to break anyone else's legs anymore." Apologized Ranna. Ezra had no idea if that was supposed to be reassuring or condescending.

Rose looked up at the sky, where the beginnings of a sunset were starting to appear.

" As Victini said, what's done is done. Arguing about the past won't change anything. I say we let our heroes rest. They deserve it after what they've been through."

"Oh, can we have dinner at the hot springs?" Begged Ezra. She was so _tired_ after that long trek and battle...

"Fine." Shrugged Franziska.

"Let's _all_ have a picnic at the springs. The whole town." Suggested Neal. The town was instantly placated. Franziska's five-star food, plus trip to the springs? Totally worth it.

And so, the entire town traveled to the hot springs, which were located near the mountain range that separated Lily Town from Destiny Ridge. There were too many baskets full of food to carry, so they had to resort to having the psychic-types use their abilities to telekinetically carry the food.

Ezra, like she had before, resorted to staying in the shallow end of the spring, to avoid getting her flame doused. Wanda and Kangaskhan were tossing a beach ball around, Chrysi and Rose were trying to dunk each other, and the others were playing Marco Polo

After a while, the Pokemon began to get hungry. They climbed out of the pool and onto the grass, where Franziska and the other Lofts employees began dishing out the food. There were sandwiches, chips and salsa, Tepigs in a Blanket, and canteens full of various drinks. The town gave an audible sigh as they ate the wonderful meal.

"Hey, Ezra, do you know where you're going next?" Asked a newly-recovered Trina after a while.

"Yeah, a place called Primordial Ruins. Dialga told us that's the most likely place for the Space Globe to be." She nodded.

"Really? So, you'll save the world here in just a couple days?" Brightened Will.

"I...actually hadn't thought about it much." Ezra hesitated as she bit into another sandwich, remembering the visions of the future she had witnessed. According to Dialga, she'd either end up skewered to a wall or in a dungeon with a sobbing woman. Neither sounded particularly pleasant.

"I'd rather not think about, actually." She said abruptly, putting the sandwich down. To think that she'd either die or live in just two short days...No, she couldn't think about it, not now.

"I don't blame you." Ivysaur nodded sympathetically.

"Cresselia gonna contact you tonight?" Asked Pancham.

"Yep. Me, Carys, and Team Siren." She nodded, trying to forget her troubles.

"Awesome. Well, good luck tomorrow." Pelipper nodded lazily.

After dinner, the town headed back home, too full to swim any longer.

* * *

"You know where the Space Globe is?" Cresselia gaped when they had told her. "Even my operative doesn't know that!"

"Dialga said if it wasn't with Arceus, then it'd be in a place called Primordial Ruins." Ezra said. Cresselia's face turned from awe to horror.

"Primordial Ruins? You're sure?" She demanded. The five nodded, getting uneasy.

"That dungeon...argh. Yes, it is the birthplace of the Creation and Lake Trios, but...it's been taken over." The legendary said grimly.

"By who? They can't be as bad as Dialga." Reasoned Meloetta.

"No, they're not as strong as him. But I'd rather Team Banshee not have to fight any more Pokemon for the time being. Too much and they'll be in no shape for Celestial Spire." Cresselia sighed.

"Well, we can take care of the bosses while Team Banshee focuses on exploring." Offered Meloetta.

"You would take on the Regis?" Asked Cresselia.

"Who?" Ezra wondered.

"Regice, Regirock, Registeel, and Regigigas. They too have gone Dark, and are guarding the dungeon at set intervals. You, Team Siren, would be willing to fight four legendaries in the same day?" Cresselia explained.

"Why not?" Shrugged Dyrim, as if Cresselia were suggesting they take a walk through a park.

"...You are either brave or foolhardy." Cresselia said in wonder.

"Alright, so...Team Siren will fight the Regis for us while we traverse the dungeon. And the day after tomorrow, we'll go to Celestial Spire. Is that right?" Asked Carys.

"No. The day after tomorrow, take a day off, to gather your strength and any resources you might need. There have been no tremors to suggest Arceus is close to death, so I believe you will be safe. Xerneas and I are gathering forces to take on the Dark headquarters. I believe we will have the forces we need the same day you tackle the Spire. It will truly be the final fight." Cresselia explained.

"Oh, we'll ask the town for volunteers. And of course we'll help your raid. By the way, how's Luna?" Asked Meloetta.

"Still comatose. I fear her memory will have been sealed away, like Ezra's. Ah, I wish I knew where Uxie was." Cresselia sighed sadly.

"Alluring Rift, along with Mesprit and Azelf. It's Hoopa's old place, but he took them there for their safety." Ezra told her.

"Alluring Rift? I don't know where that is." Cresselia frowned.

"Go to Mystical Bluff. Jump through the hoop on the cliff. Boom, you're there." Grinned Carys.

"I...see. Well, thank you. Will Hoopa mind?" Cresselia inquired.

"I doubt it." Ranna shrugged. "Just leave a couple donuts as a peace offering if you're still not sure."

"Well, in that case, I will have Selene and Ditto take Luna to Uxie." Cresselia nodded. "If you don't have anymore questions, I will leave you five in peace."

The five shook their heads.

"Very well. I shall see you tomorrow night."

* * *

**Don't worry, Meloetta only gave Dialga a couple of hairline fractures. Even baby Dialga's made of tough stuff. If he rests and doesn't move his legs, he'll be fine. **

**The secret thing I wanted you guys to find in the Palkia battle was the brief moment of recognition Ezra had when she saw the port city in Palkia's Spacial Rend. Now why would she recognize a place she's never seen before? Unless...she has?**

**The 'goldenrod-colored city' Ezra also saw is, of course, Goldenrod City. The distorted Jigglypuff and Prinplup were Kirby and King Dedede, naturally, and as for the large port city whose south side is nothing but dock...well, I'll let you guys figure that out on your own ;)**

**The next post shall include: The Creation and Lake Trio's birthplace, attempted murder, and...a change of heart?**


	69. Chapter 69

Ezra began sweating as soon as she stepped outside the Lofts. It was blisteringly hot, and the sun seemed to be trying its very hardest to cook everyone that was not indoors. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and many of the outdoor shopkeepers were huddling in their huts so that they could greet potential customers without being in the sun all day.

"Whew! What a way to start August." Frowned Meloetta as she and her team stepped outside.

"It's August 1st today?" Inquired Ezra. She had always known it was summer, but she had never asked the exact date before.

"Yep. That means it's exactly three weeks until the Meteor Festival!" Ranna beamed.

"There's a meteor shower that appears annually around the end of August. Lily Town puts on a party called the Meteor Festival during the first night of the shower. It's so much fun; there's food, dancing, games, and we all compete to see who can make the best festival mask." Dyrim explained, seeing Ezra's look of confusion.

"It's really something special, Ez. You'll love it." Grinned Carys.

"I'm sure I will." Ezra smiled back, but inside she was thinking, _if I survive Formora._

"We'd better pack for the trip to the ruins. It's supposed to be this hot all day, so there's no use waiting for it to cool down before we set off." Suggested Meloetta.

"Good plan. We'll be done in a jiff." Nodded Carys.

Bracing themselves against the heat, the five set off to prepare for the journey. Team Banshee sold all of their unwanted items and bought supplies, then they stored excess items with Kangaskhan. They finished by sorting out what they would and wouldn't take. In the end, their new gear consisted of: 67 Geo Pebbles, the Lunar Wing, three apples, three Oran Berries, three Reviver Seeds, two Stun Seeds, an X-Eye Seed, two Blast Seeds, and an Escape Orb. They also had their trusty Insomniscope and Trap Scarf.

When they were all done, they met Team Siren in the town square.

"We're all set. And you?" Ezra asked.

"The same. Shall we?" Replied Meloetta.

"Ugh! If it doesn't cool down soon, I'm going to use Rain Dance. Oh, hey, Teams Siren and Banshee!" Sips was muttering, then called, he and the rest of the Hooded Brotherhood coming over to them.

"You guys heading out?" Asked Cave. The five nodded.

"Well, good luck. I don't doubt that you'll succeed. Oh, Meloetta. No word of Kay or Detective Mawile still, but we're keeping our ears peeled." Said Sky. Meloetta looked as if she'll cry, but she stoically held back tears.

"Thanks." She nodded dully, biting her lip.

"Hey." Sips touched her shoulder. "We'll find them, okay? Don't you worry." He said gently.

"Yeah. Yeah." Meloetta nodded, trying to smile reassuringly. "I'd better focus on the mission before I turn into a blubbering wreck. We'll see you guys around."

"Bye bye." Chorused the HB as the five set off.

Meloetta sobered up as the trek went on, saying that she just wanted to focus on the mission. She made the others talk about trivial things, like how it shouldn't be so hot for 10 AM, or that the Bravo Specials would be returning soon. When they got to Destiny Ridge, located on the southern coast, they turned northeast, and continued on.

* * *

**Primordial Ruins ( watch?v=uc****jZ5kXScUg)**

It wasn't hard to spot the tree the dungeon was hidden behind. The trunk was at least a quarter of a mile in diameter, and had to be a mile tall. The tree grew right in front of a rock wall, and the canopy above provided the five travelers cool shade, a welcome feeling on this scorching hot day.

"Well, here's the tree. The dungeon entrance must be behind it." Speculated Meloetta as the five stood to admire the sheer _girth_ of the plant.

"Wow. What has that thing been eating?" Whistled Carys, staring up at the canopy.

"Sunlight and water. Come on, let's go find the entrance." Answered Ranna as she began walking around the base of the tree.

The other four followed suit, and an hour later, they came to the other side of the tree. They climbed up on one of the massive roots (Which had to have been as tall as an Onix), and peered down at the ground below.

"There!" Said Ezra, pointing at a small cave that had mostly been sealed off by another root. The entrance was just big enough for something the size of a Swampert to get through.

"I think Ezra's found it. Well, off we go!" Meloetta nodded as the five began their descent down the root, and up onto the root blocking the entrance.

Once they had finally made it onto the top of the other root, Team Banshee jumped down from their spots and into the dungeon.

**B1F**

The dungeon had blue stone floors and walls the exact color of fool's gold. There wasn't much light in this place, but Ezra could see readily enough.

"Ugh. That color combo though." She frowned, looking at the floor and walls. The dark saffron color of the walls didn't quite match the blue shade of the floor.

"Beep." Said a voice behind her. Ezra and Carys turned, and jumped when they saw an Unown floating in front of them. It was shaped like an 'F'.

"Uh...hi?" Carys said cautiously. Dungeon Pokemon had never spoken to them before.

"Beep." Replied the Unown in a strangely robotic tone.

"Can we help you?" Inquired Ezra. The Unown didn't seem to be malicious, but you could never be sure.

"Beep." Responded the Unown.

"Is that all you can say?" Asked Carys.

"Beep." Confirmed Unown.

"...So...are you gonna fight us, or...?" Ezra trailed off after a moment's pause.

"Beep." Said Unown, shooting a transparent red beam from its eye onto Ezra's face, who grunted as she fell over. Strange, that attack almost felt like getting slapped around by a fighting-type. Hm.

"Unown can only use Hidden Power, which is an attack that can be any type. Each Unown has a different type of Hidden Power." Explained Carys as she KO'd the foe with Trick-or-Treat, then Shadow Ball.

"Ah. I think that one had a fighting-type Hidden Power. It certainly felt like I was getting punched by one." Said Ezra as she got up, rubbing her jaw. "And anyway, how come that one could talk? ...Well, not 'talk' exactly, but it actually said _something_."

"Unown are weird creatures. Maybe they don't follow the no-talking rule." Shrugged Carys.

"Hm. Well, at least it won't be too difficult beating them. C'mon, the Space Globe awaits." Said Ezra as she led the way into a corridor.

**B2F**

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Carys asked abruptly as they were walking through a hall. She had been silent for a while.

"Yeah, sure." Nodded Ezra.

"Did you...Did you see visions when you were hit by Dialga's Roar of Time?" Carys inquired.

"Yeah. I did. Four of them. Why, did you?" Ezra asked.

"Yeah. If I may ask, what did you see?" Carys said hesitatingly.

"Well, the first one...I don't quite know what to think. Back when we were fighting Palkia, I saw a port city I'd never seen before in one of his Spacial Rends. In the first vision, I was in the same city, and I couldn't move. I was watching the boats in the harbor come and go. Then a girl arrived behind me and she spoke my name. And..._my voice answered her back_." Ezra explained.

"What did you talk about?" Asked Carys.

"Uh...she said something about being excited that she was getting a hand-me-down sweater for Christmas. I was happy for her, too, though I don't know why a secondhand sweater is something to be excited about." Frowned Ezra.

"I think you were seeing your past. Maybe that girl is your sister, and you came from a poor family?" Suggested Carys.

"Maybe. Anyway, the next vision I saw was the final battle between me and Formora on top of Celestial Spire. The one after that...ugh...I was dead, and Formora was busy desecrating my body up in the far north." Ezra shuddered.

"The final vision...I was in a dungeon of some kind, and there was a crying woman behind me, saying that she saw her best friend die and was unable to do anything about it." Ezra ended.

"Oh...I think the third one is what will happen if you, ah, fail. And the fourth will happen if you succeed." Reasoned Carys.

"I think so too. What did you see?" Nodded Ezra.

"The first vision I saw was of me being taken in by Neal all those years ago, when I first came to Lily Town. The second was of us entering Celestial Spire. The third...I was dead, very dead, with my eyes gouged out and my body lying forgotten in a ditch." Carys winced.

"Oh that's horrible!" Exclaimed Ezra, horrified.

"So if we fail our task, we'll both wind up dead. As for the last vision, we were in some sort of ancient chamber, surrounded by the entire town. We were fighting other Pokemon, Pokemon I've never met before. Then Hoopa, Cresselia, Victini, and another Pokemon came into the chamber, and proceeded to help us." Narrated Carys.

"So...we saw the past, Celestial Spire, our worst-case scenario, and a future adventure that features a crying woman and fighting alongside the town." Speculated Ezra.

"When we win, we still have a lot ahead of us." Carys nodded solemnly. "I feel better now. I just needed to talk to someone about what I saw."

"No problem. Say, Team Siren must have seen visions too. Let's ask them when we get home." Suggested Ezra.

"Good idea." Smiled Carys.

**B3F**

"Beep." An Unown shaped like an 'O' beeped angrily at them in a hall. It threw its Hidden Power at Ezra, who screamed. This one felt like she was being doused in water!

"Water-type! No! Get away!" She yelled, tossing a Night Shade at it. It flew upwards, dodging the attack.

"Beep." It said, throwing another Hidden Power at her. Ezra too dodged by leaping high into the air. Although she couldn't exactly understand the Unown language, she got the general gist of what the species were saying.

"Same to you, pal!" She retorted, nailing it with Hex. As the Unown blanched from the blow, she quickly followed up with another Hex. The Unown fell, and Ezra landed on the ground with a thud.

She paused to catch her breath. That blow followed by that leap had taken more energy than she had wanted.

After a moment, though, she felt ready enough to continue.

**B4F**

"Ooh, Sky Gummi." Breathed Carys, spotting one sitting in a chamber.

"You can have it. I'm not hungry." Said Ezra graciously. Carys eagerly downed the Gummi.

"Mmm, marshmallows." Carys said, getting a blissful look on her face.

**B5F**

"How do you say 'Stairs' in Unown?" Asked Carys.

"If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say 'beep'." Replied Ezra.

* * *

**Regice's Room**

This room was much different than the others. The floor was made of solid ice and large icicles hung from the ceiling. It was freezing cold—reminding the duo bitterly about their fiasco in the far north—and they were shivering not three seconds after they had entered. A great, light-blue Pokemon lay fallen on its side, unmoving. Three smaller figures poked their heads out from the other side of the Pokemon.

"Hey g-g-guys! H-How's it g-going?" Greeted Meloetta as she and her team came to greet them.

"Uh..." Ezra trailed off. "You're s-sure peppy."

"I'm f-fully determined n-n-not to let m-my fears g-get the best of m-me during this m-m-mission." Meloetta said firmly. She turned to the blue Pokemon.

"That r-right there is R-Regice. He didn't st-stand a chance a-a-against us! We didn't e-even break a sw-sweat!" She laughed.

Regice was very box-like. There were very few curves to his body. Icicles stuck out from the back of his head, and there were dots on his face that Ezra wasn't sure were eyes or not.

"I...s-see." She said, rubbing her sides to warm them up.

"Th-this is going to be f-f-fun! All of the R-Regis are w-weak to f-f-fighting-type moves." Ranna grinned wickedly.

"Well, I'm gl-glad that this tr-trip will b-be a br-breeze." Said Carys.

"Yeah. W-we'd all b-better get g-going again. S-See you in the next room!" Meloette nodded.

"Bye." Carys and Ezra chorused as Team Siren departed into the next segment of the dungeon. A few minutes later, they followed.

* * *

**Mid Primordial Ruins**

**B1F**

The walls were still the same fool's gold color, but now the floor had changed into a light brown brick. It looked a little better, but still, the color scheme could have been better. It was also much, much warmer in here, thankfully.

"Welp, five more floors until the next one. Y'know, I'm really glad Team Siren came with us again. I doubt I would have had the strength to tackle Regice, let alone the other three." Commented Carys as they got going.

"Yeah. Say, what do you think the Space Globe looks like?" Asked Ezra.

"Well, judging by the name, I'd say it's a sphere that looks like it contains the universe." Replied Carys.

"Ooh, I could see it being that." Ezra agreed.

**B2F**

An Unown shaped like an 'R' had come to tangle with them as they walked through a chamber.

"Beep." It said, racing towards them.

"No, we're not scared of you." Ezra shook her head as she kicked off the fight with Hex. The Unown dodged, and proceeded to use Hidden Power. She sucked in a breath as the blow sent her back a foot. That one had felt like she was getting injected with poison.

"Poison-type." She warned Carys as she retaliated with Night Shade.

Carys quickly stepped in to add her Shadow Ball to the fray, and the Unown was no more. It dropped a red-and-black Sinister-looking Box.

**B3F**

"Beep." Said Carys upon seeing the Stairs.

**B4F**

Two Unown shaped like a 'Y' and 'C', respectively, were blocking their way in a hall. Ezra was hit with Hidden Power, and she promptly went into the wall. That attack had felt like she was getting hit by an avalanche. No thank you.

"That one's a rock-type!" She called as she surprised Unown C with Night Shade. That one tried to attack her, but beeped quite angrily when it found it could not touch her.

It had no choice but to accept its fate.

With that one out of the way, she turned to face Unown Y, and surprised it with Night Shade.

"Beep." It exclaimed, surprised, as it fell.

**B5F**

An Unown shaped like an 'E' had spawned in with them.

"Beep." It informed them.

"What do you mean, your Hidden Power is ghost-type?" Objected Ezra.

"Beep." The Unown shrugged.

"Ugh. Fine, let's just get this over with." Grumbled Ezra as she tossed a Flame Burst at it. It ducked, and retaliated with—surprise surprise—Hidden Power.

The Unown hadn't been lying when it said it had ghost-type Hidden Power. Ezra felt malicious spirits attack her as she was hit by the red beam.

"Mmph." She scowled as she and Carys began a Shadow Ball-Night Shade combo. The foe dodged yet again, and blasted Carys with its attack.

"Ah!" Ezra's partner shrieked. Ezra once again used Night Shade, and to her satisfaction the attack hit.

"Beep." Said the Unown, shaking its head to clear of pain.

"Come on, then, have another go at me if you're so tough!" Taunted Ezra, aiming to distract the Unown so Carys could defeat it.

"Beep." Accepted the Unown as it used Hidden Power once more. Although her body hurt from when she took the first attack, she nevertheless tanked the pain to jump high into the air dodging the attack. The Unown looked up to aim at her—and promptly fell as Carys nailed it with Shadow Ball. It had failed to notice her get back up.

"Hah." Ezra said mildly as she landed back on the ground.

* * *

**Regirock's Room**

At least this room wasn't frigidly cold like Regice's room had been. The floor and walls were made of brown stone, and large boulders littered the room. One of the boulder piles shifted, and with a start Ezra realized it wasn't an avalanche, but an actual Pokemon.

"**Intruder detected. Engaging in Combat Protocol Z-X29."** The brown Pokemon said. Judging by the scenery, Ezra assumed this was Regirock. He too had dots on his face where eyes would be. He lifted a massive arm, but right before he slammed it down upon their heads, he was caught in someone's Psychic.

Ezra and Carys turned, and breathed a sigh of relief as Team Siren entered the chamber. Meloetta was concentrating hard, trying to keep Regirock contained in her attack.

"Hey, just in time! Not bad. How're you guys doing?" Ranna greeted as she and Dyrim began attacking Regirock.

"Much better now that you three are here." Carys replied as Ranna Wake-Up Slapped Regirock. Meloetta ended her Psychic, and began her Relic Song.

"We got Regirock. You two just go on! We'll catch up to you later!" She called after transforming to Pirouette Form.

Regirock's arm glowed white, and he brutally smashed it down on Meloetta, sending a shockwave through the room. Or, he would have hit her, if she had not dodged at the last second.

"Just go!" She shouted at them, beginning a round of Close Combat.

The duo did not need further convincing. After seeing the power of Regirock's Hammer Arm, they didn't want to be in the same room with him anymore.

**Lower Primordial Ruins**

* * *

**B1F**

The walls were that same ugly color of dark saffron. Even more worse was the floor, which had now changed to a glossy pearl stone. You'd think that the combination of ugly and beautiful would make for a balanced room, but honestly all it did was make the room even _more_ revolting to look at. Whoever designed this dungeon seriously needed to go back to art school.

**B2F**

"Woo! Stairs!" Cheered Carys.

**B3F**

"Two in a row! Aw yeah!" Carys laughed.

"Beep." Said a nearby Unown Y.

"Go away. We're leaving." Carys told it as she ascended.

**B4F**

They spawned in with an Unown shaped like an exclamation mark and one that was shaped like a question mark.

"Beep." "Beep." They said upon noticing the ghost-types.

The two Unown both shot off the transparent red beam of Hidden Power onto the duo. Carys jumped out of the way, but Ezra was smacked right in the stomach by what felt like the might of dragons.

"Ugh...Question mark's...a dragon-type." She said between gasps as she doubled over. A cry from Carys followed soon after.

"And exclamation mark's a fire-type..." Carys added, cringing.

"Would a fire-type Hidden Power activate Flash Fire?" Asked Ezra as she hit the Unown ? with Hex.

"Beep." Replied Unown !.

"Liar. The move is currently a fire-type, right? I don't see why it wouldn't." Carys shrugged as she finished off the Unown ? with Shadow Ball, leaving only the Unown !.

"Nice." Ezra grinned as she launched a Night Shade at the remaining foe. It flew out of the way, and tried to throw a Hidden Power at Carys. Ezra was ready for such a tactic, however, and she promptly dove in front of the attack, absorbing the fiery power.

The Unown blanched at what it had just inadvertently done, and put up no further protest as Ezra roasted it with an extra-toasty Flame Burst.

"Thank you!" She laughed as it fell, dropping a Dainty Box.

**B5F**

An Unown shaped like a 'J' met them as they were just about to turn a 90 degree corner. Carys ducked into the space in the wall between her and the Unown.

"Beep." Said the Unown, blasting Ezra with an icy Hidden Power. Ezra ignored the blow. She wasn't afraid of ice-type moves.

"Nah, we want to stay here. But you and your friends aren't being very nice to us." Ezra pouted as she tried to hit it with Night Shade. The Unown dodged that attack, but failed to avoid Carys' Shadow Ball.

"Beep." It said angrily to Carys, hitting Ezra once again with Hidden Power.

"Hey! This fic is rated K+! You can't say that!" Carys protested, blushing in horror. She turned it into a ghost/psychic-type with Trick-or-Treat, and tried to KO it with another Shadow Ball. The Unown J evaded the Shadow Ball, and turned to hit Ezra again, but instead it was met with the latter's Hex.

It fell to the floor with a thud, and the duo continued their merry trek through the floor.

—**Waypoint—**

The waypoint area was looking much better than the first 3/5 of the dungeon. The walls had lost that detestable fool's gold color and had instead became black onyx, and the floor was now a silver stone that almost looked metallic. It was _such_ a pleasant change from the eyesores down below.

Team Siren were there already, despite being in the beginnings of a boss fight last time Team Banshee saw them. Just how strong _were _they?

"Hello! Having fun?" Grinned Meloetta.

"Yeah, actually. The Unown are so easy to beat in this place, and we don't have to worry about the Regis, thanks to you three." Carys beamed as she touched the Kangaskhan statue.

"Well, only ten more floors to go. Next up is Registeel, by the look of the floor, and at the end is Regigigas. Honestly, compared to Dialga, these guys are nothing! It only took us two Close Combats, a Wake-Up Slap, and a couple Echoed Voices for us to defeat Regirock." Dyrim laughed gaily.

"Hah, well, glad you three are having fun as well. Shall we continue?" Chuckled Ezra.

"Yep! After you." Ranna gestured towards the far end of the room, where the exit lay.

"Thank you. See you in a few minutes." Waved Ezra as she and Carys disappeared into the next part of the dungeon.

**Primordial Relic ( watch?v=V9oPdT1aX58)**

**B1F**

The area looked exactly as it had in the waypoint. The walls were jet black, and the floor was a silver stone. There was also an Unown shaped like a 'B' with them.

"Beep!" Called Ezra, as it hadn't noticed them. It turned just in time to get hit in the face with Ezra's Night Shade. A second later, it fell to Carys' Shadow Ball.

The duo laughed and laughed, not noticing that an Unown F had entered the room from behind. It was only when Ezra was blasted with what felt like a ton of sand that they noticed they weren't alone.

"Hey! When did you get here?" Exclaimed Ezra, eating an Oran Berry. That ground-type Hidden Power had critically struck her, since she had been a sitting Ducklett.

"Beep." Informed the Unown, attempting to hit Ezra again. Carys took the blow for Ezra, and quickly took the foe Trick-or-Treating.

"What do you mean, 'for about three minutes'?" Objected Ezra, peeking out from behind Carys to launch off a Hex. A 'beep' from Unown told her she hadn't missed.

"Beep." Shrugged Unown, struggling to stay aloft. It managed to hit Carys with Hidden Power, but the Pumpkaboo was not fazed by the ground-type attack.

"You could have warned us, at least." Carys grumbled as she put the Unown out of its misery with Razor Leaf.

It dropped a black and white Nifty-looking Box. Ezra put the Box into the bag and after checking to make sure no more Unown were in the room, they set off.,

**B2F**

As they came into a chamber, Ezra spotted a Red Gummi. Eagerly, she ran right for it, only for her to fall through a Pitfall Trap.

**B3F**

She landed harshly on a sleeping Unown shaped like an 'L'.

"Beep." It said angrily, glaring at her while still blinking sleep from its eye.

"Sorry." Ezra apologized as she pummeled it with Night Shade. The Unown was about to retaliate, but it fell to Carys' Shadow Ball. The Pumpkaboo had spawned behind it, and it hadn't noticed her.

"Well that was a rude wake-up call." Carys commented.

"I didn't _try_ to wake it up." Objected Ezra as they got moving.

**B4F**

"Staiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrssssssssssss!" Shouted Carys.

**B5F**

Two Unown—shaped like a 'Z' and 'T', respectively, were in the way as the duo were trying to navigate through a particularly-long hallway.

Almost immediately, Ezra was smacked in the face by what felt like a swarm of bugs. She shrugged off the attack, not taking that much damage. As Carys entered the wall to deal with the Unown behind Unown Z, Ezra pummeled the latter with her Hex.

"Beep." It wailed, shaking its head.

"Deal with it." Said Ezra, quickly following up with Night Shade. The Unown Z fell, and Ezra wasted no time in KOing the Unown T with another Night Shade. The attack landed at the same time Carys' Razor Leaf did, effectively ensuring that the foe was defeated. It dropped a red and green Box that was surprisingly Light for such a bulky thing.

* * *

**Registeel's Room**

Registeel's room appeared to be completely made of metal. Square sheets of steel were screwed onto the walls, and the floor seemed to be made out of pure iron. A coppery scent was in the air.

"Watch out, Team Banshee!" Cried Dyrim as he shot in between them and crashed into the wall.

"Oi, his Flash Cannon's tough!" He gritted his teeth as he peeled himself off the wall. Up ahead, Ranna was busy putting Registeel to Sleep, and Meloetta was doing a Teeter Dance. Registeel swayed, then promptly fell over, sound asleep.

His upper body was spherical, with a hip-like appendage and two legs. He had two arms that had only three long fingers. He too had dots for eyes.

"Ah, here's your chance. Don't worry about me; we're just about done. See?" Dyrim said as he ate an Oran Berry.

Meloetta and Ranna hit Registeel with Wake-Up Slap and Close Combat at the same. The gargantuan Pokemon shuddered, then fell still, unconscious.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go on!" Dyrim nudged the duo forward as Meloetta and Ranna waved hello at them.

With one last look at the fallen Registeel, the duo entered the last segment of Primordial Ruins.

* * *

**Lower Primordial Relic **

**B1F**

Now the walls had changed to a smooth white rock, and the floor was a yellow brick. Moss grew all over the walls. It was by far the best-looking design of the whole dungeon. Lower Primordial Ruins was the most ugliest, then Primordial Ruins, then Mid Primordial Ruins, Primordial Relic, and Lower Primordial Relic as the most beautiful color scheme in the whole dungeon.

"Last five floors, then we get the Space Globe!" She grinned to Carys.

"Yep yep! Come on, what are you waiting for?" Her best friend grinned right back.

Ezra took a step forward—and triggered a Warp Trap.

"Mother—" Ezra was cut off as she teleported somewhere else.

Luckily, there weren't any Unown in this new room. While muttering many questionable words, Ezra set off to find either Carys or the Stairs.

**B2F**

"Carys loves Stairs!" Declared Carys.

**B3F**

They found a sleeping Unown shaped like a 'V' in a chamber with a Gold Ribbon in it. They obtained the ribbon, and as they walked past the Unown, Carys got the bright idea to wake it up with Shadow Ball.

"Beep." It exclaimed as it woke up, startled.

"Carys!" Complained Ezra as she KO'd the confused foe with Hex. "Why'd you have to do that?"

"I felt like it." Carys shrugged as she went to pick up the Glittery Box the Unown had dropped.

Ezra sighed, but didn't say anything more.

**B4F**

As they were waking through a chamber, Ezra accidentally triggered a Summon Trap. Three Unown—shaped like an 'R', a 'Y', and a 'G'—were spawned around the duo.

"Beep." "Beep." "Beep." Said all three Unown.

"Hush, all of you." Said Ezra as she threw a Hex at the G-shaped foe. It dodged, and hit her with a grass-type Hidden Power.

Ezra prepared another Hex—and fell on her face as she was attacked from behind with a dark-type Hidden Power. Scowling, she turned to see that it was the R-shaped Unown who did that. Carys was one step ahead, though, and she quickly used Confuse Ray on the Unown R, keeping it preoccupied until the duo could return for it. With that Unown safely contained for a few minutes, they turned back to their original foes.

Ezra evaded the Hidden Power from the Unown G by flattening herself to the ground, and she launched a Hex at it as she sprang back up. The Unown flew back a few feet, and it attempted to hit her with Hidden Power once more. As the red beam sailed towards her, she shot a volley of Flame Burst at the beam. When the two attacks met, they created a small explosion, sending dust flying into the air and making it hard for the two battlers to see. Ezra threw a Night Shade at the spot she last saw the Unown, but no wail greeted her. She had missed. She then dove to the right in case the Unown tried to do the exact same thing, and grinned as a red beam came flying through the dust cloud and through the spot she had been standing just seconds ago.

Following the angle of the beam, she threw another Night Shade where the Unown had tried to shoot her.

"Beep." Squealed the Unown. As the dust cleared, she saw that her foe had fallen.

Turning back to the Unown R, who was just snapping out of confusion, she wasted no time in pummeling it with Hex, swiftly followed up by Night Shade. The Unown stood no chance, and fell to the floor, dropping a Gorgeous Box.

"Nice job." Panted Carys, who had just finished up her own fight.

"Ready to go on?" Asked Ezra as she picked up the Box.

"You bet." Nodded Carys, and they continued through the floor.

**B5F**

They spawned in with a Warp Orb. Figuring that if they found an Unown in the chamber with the Stairs they could just beam it away, they kept it.

They found an even better use for the Warp Orb when they accidentally sprung a Monster House in a medium-sized chamber. 28 Unown fell from the ceiling. The first 26 were comprised of the alphabet, and the last two were the punctuation Unown. Ezra and Carys took one look at the horde of Unown with them and promptly broke the Warp Orb at their feet.

As if they were being sucked into a vacuum, the Unown were teleported away, leaving the duo free to eat the Blue and Brown Gummis that were lying on the floor. After this impromptu snack, they set out once more.

* * *

**Regigigas' Room**

Regigigas' room was completely white. Not a speck of color could be seen. All around them was pure, flawless white rock.

"TIMBER!" Came Meloetta's shout from farther in the room. A gargantuan Pokemon was wobbling, then promptly fell over onto its side. This Pokemon was mainly white, with black striped and yellow hands and head. Moss grew on its feet. As with the other Regis, this one had dots where its eyes would have been.

The shockwave from the impact when it hit the floor was more than enough to dash everyone to the floor. When the tremors ended, the five cautiously picked themselves up.

"Heya! Say hi to Regigigas!" Grinned Meloetta, patting his foot. Regigigas didn't respond.

"He put up one heck of a fight, but in the end, he was no match for Team Siren!" Beamed Dyrim.

"Nice job!" Said Ezra, impressed. Four boss battles in one day, and Team Siren hardly looked worse for the wear. True, all of them were bruised and covered in dirt, but their eyes shone brightly.

"Well, we did our job. We're going back home now." Said Dyrim.

"What? You're not getting the Space Globe with us? Where is it, by the way?" Asked Ezra, looking around the bare room. She didn't see anything that looked otherworldly enough to be it.

"Nope. Getting the Space Globe is _your_ quest, not ours. We just came here to beat up the Regis." Shrugged Meloetta.

"We think there's another room beyond this one. It should be in there." Ranna pointed to the back wall, where an exit was.

"O-oh. Well, in that case, we'll see you shortly after you get home." Ezra smiled.

"Have fun." Meloetta winked at them as she and her team exited the dungeon. After they left, the duo turned to the back wall.

"In the next room is the Space Globe. You ready?" Ezra asked.

"Always." Nodded Carys.

Curious as to what the item of Arceus looked like, they entered the next room.

* * *

**Primordial Chamber**

As soon as Ezra saw what was in the chamber, she screamed.

The room itself was quite nice, actually. Candles lit up the entire place, and the back area was covered in ornate pillars. Intricate runes danced across the walls, glowing and fading in every color imaginable. The chamber hummed with power, and a mosaic of the Creation Trio and Lake Trio formed a circle around a pedestal set in the center of the room. On the pedestal was the Space Globe.

The center of the item was spherical, and the right and left sides of it were enamored with two gold and green half-circles that looked exactly like the "ring" that surrounded Arceus' body. The sphere itself was midnight blue, and there was a pulsing, ethereal light within it. The white object looked almost like a star...

But that wasn't why Ezra screamed.

There, lifting the Space Globe off the pedestal, surrounded by her two henchmen, was Formora, the Dark's Chosen and the potential murderer of Ezra.

Formora and her teammates looked up when they heard Ezra's scream. A slow, lazy grin spread across Formora's face from ear to ear (if she had any) when she saw Ezra.

"Oh look, Ezra's come to rescue the Space Globe. Oh no, whatever shall I do? I'm an ice and ghost-type; I'm doubly weak to her! Oh, I'd better surrender while I can! Hahahahaha!" Formora mocked in a high-pitched voice before laughing harshly. Kialandi and Firnen chuckled as well.

"Hah...Do you want to die now or later?" Formora asked conversationally, as if she were discussing the weather.

"Hoopa's watching us again! He'll step in the moment you attack us!" Ezra shouted at once, trying to bluff them.

"No. He's not." Formora shook her head, smiling, never taking her eyes off them.

"You're awfully certain." Said Carys, getting into a defensive position.

Formora raised her arms above her head, gesturing all around the room. "Don't you feel it, Ezra? This is where the Lake Trio and Creation Trio were born all those years ago. There's a lot of power in this ancient, ancient chamber. The power is so great, in fact, that it's impossible for anyone to detect psychically. If Hoopa _was_ watching, he'd have lost you as soon as you entered the dungeon. You're invisible to him. Again, _if _he was watching. Don't you get it? You're trapped! Alone! With us! It's time for our fateful battle to begin! I shall kill you both, and I will make the world suffer for what it did to me." Formora's speech ended on a low growl, and her face grew into a furious scowl. Ezra could practically see the bloodlust enter the Froslass' eyes.

Ezra and Carys quickly shared a knowing glance. Each was thinking of the vision Ezra saw yesterday, the one of her and Formora on top of Celestial Spire. That meant that they will survive this encounter. They would win this fight!

"Team Siren are here as well. They're in Regigigas' room." Said Ezra, nodding behind her. Team Siren had no idea they were in trouble, but if they could bluff their way out of this...

Formora had completely lost her smile; only a hard, cold look remained. It was quite clear now that she was more than willing to kill them.

"Lies..." She said softly, so softly that it was the most chilling thing Ezra had ever heard, "will only get you killed slower."

And with that, Formora lunged.

* * *

**BOSS BATTLE ( watch?v=m1nRuWqW09Q)**

"What makes _you_ so special?!" She screamed as she threw a Shadow Ball at them. Ezra and Carys jumped out of the way just in time, avoiding the attack. She had thrown the Space Globe as she had lunged at them, but Kialandi caught it and set it gently in the lower-left corner, where it presumably wouldn't be disturbed.

"Why did Arceus decide _you_ were worthy of a happy life and not me?!" She continued, tossing another Shadow Ball aimed at Ezra, who scrambled out of the way.

Ezra ran for the pillars in the back room, dodging Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball as Formora threw them over and over again. She managed to outrun the attacks—until one detonated right behind her.

"Ah!" She cried as she was sent flying through the air, only to land on her face a few yards away.

She scrambled to her feet, watching in fear as a light blue aura surrounded Formora as she flew up to the ceiling. Clouds grew and spread across the top of the room, and hail began falling, pelting everyone.

Carys, meanwhile, was busy contending with Kialandi and Firnen, who were putting her on the defensive side with repeated Dragon Breaths and Dragon Claws. Carys managed to keep them back with Razor Leaf and Shadow Ball, but she couldn't keep it up for very long. Indeed, Firnen dodged a Razor Leaf and raked her brutally across the face with Dragon Claw, grinning maliciously while he did so.

Formora came down from the ceiling, and whipped her head around the room, searching for Ezra. Ezra hid behind a pillar, extinguishing her flame as she did so, as the light would only alert the once-human foe where she was. Formora saw the light suddenly vanish from one pillar, though, and with a cruel laugh she threw a Shadow Ball where Ezra was.

Stones from the breaking pillar were flung deep into Ezra's wax, causing her to cry out. The force from the impact also sent her straight into the wall, and Formora wasted no time in blasting her with another Shadow Ball. Ezra fell to the ground, and sat up in complete terror as Formora stood over her menacingly. Something seemed to catch the Froslass' eye, as she turned her head to stare intently at the corner to Ezra's left. Ezra flicked a quick glance over there, but she could see nothing. Formora's scowl deepened, and pure rage danced across her eyes.

"Shut _**UP**_!" She screamed, sending an Ice Beam down at the corner. Despite the intensity of the situation, Ezra felt confusion wash over her. Why did Formora just tell the corner to shut up? Was she finally losing it? She had no time to explore these thoughts further, as Formora turned back to her, the bloodlust in her eyes practically palpable.

Ezra dodged Formora's regular attack and threw a Flame Burst at Formora, getting hit by a hailstone for her efforts. The attack only seemed to make her even angrier, if that was even possible. Ezra threw another one, but Formora disappeared, using her Snow Cloak.

Well, Ezra was not intending to just stand there and take the next attack. She ran into the main chamber, tossing a Hex at Kialandi, who was beginning a Draco Meteor. The Hex hit him and the attack dissipated. As he turned to face her, Carys used this opportunity to nail him with both Trick-or-Treat, then Confuse Ray. Kialandi's eyes went glassy, and dazedly he wandered around the chamber, occasionally getting hit with Hail. Firnen's claws grew longer and glowed white, and he dove at Ezra. She dodged his Dragon Claw, and retaliated with Night Shade. Carys followed up with Shadow Ball, sending the Fraxure sprawling into the left wall. Although he never gave any sign that he was in pain, he lay there for a moment, dazed.

Something icy and cold swept across Team Banshee, and Formora reappeared a second later as her Blizzard faded away. Quick as a flash, she blasted Carys with Ice Beam, and the Pumpkaboo fainted, leaving them with only two more Reviver Seeds.

Ezra felt the ground below her begin to shift, then clamp onto her suddenly. She gasped, trying in vain to free herself. Kialandi came flying into her vision, no longer confused, a yellow aura surrounding his body. He was using Earth Power. A yellow beam came flying upwards from the ground below Ezra, choking her with the power of earth. She too fainted.

She was revived a second later, and Team Renegade wasted no time in assaulting both her and Carys. Formora didn't even give her a second to get her bearings back, and as soon as the white beam dissipated she was thrown into the right-hand wall by Formora's Shadow Ball.

Ezra got to her feet swiftly, and threw a Hex at Formora, who easily dodged using Snow Cloak. She reappeared next to Ezra, and shoved her roughly down to the ground.

Formora stood over her, scowling so hard her facial muscles must be aching something fierce. She paused, then put both hands to where her ears would be, closing her eyes.

"Shut up _shut up __**SHUT UP!**_" She screamed, tears streaming down her face. She opened her eyes, and Ezra felt her heart skip a beat or two as those mad, bloodthirsty eyes focused on her. Formora stood there for just a moment, quivering not with fear, but with pure, unbridled rage.

With a cry that was somewhere between a sob and a shout, she lunged at Ezra, pinning her down with one arm, tears still falling, taking care that her head was not directly in front of Ezra's flame.

Formora's fingers dug cruelly into Ezra as she struggled to free herself from Formora's grasp. But it was no use, she was too strong. Her Flame Burst would only singe Formora, who would not feel pain, not in the berserk state she was in.. She was thoroughly pinned.

Formora dug through the Froslass Bow around her neck, and from within the folds of it she produced a blue rectangular object. She pressed a button on the object, and with a _snikt_ a blade popped out from the side. With the ease of someone long-used to handling such a weapon she held the knife high over her head, angling the blade down at Ezra.

Ezra couldn't help but be drawn to the blade, and let out a moan. The blade was covered in dried blood. Even the hilt still had leftover spatters from whatever Pokemon was unfortunate enough to be stabbed with it. Dimly, she noticed that the hail stopped.

Formora brought her arm down.

The strength of sheer desperation was the only thing that saved Ezra's life.

She threw herself out of the way using strength she did not know she had, and Formora's knife stabbed the stone floor instead of Ezra. Aided by adrenaline, Ezra got to her feet, watching Formora carefully. The Froslass yanked her knife out of the ground, and Ezra waste no time in using Hex. She was not aiming at Formora, however. Her attack was successful, and the knife went sailing across the room, embedding itself in the opposite wall.

Formora stared at her for a moment, then let out a low, berserk chuckle, her sadistic grin slowly spreading across her face. Ezra's couldn't help but feel she made a terrible mistake.

She dodged Formora's Shadow Ball, then hit her with Night Shade. Formora ignored the attack and came after Ezra with another Shadow Ball.

The sound of a Reviver Seed made them turn their heads, and Ezra saw that her friend had been knocked out again, this time by Firnen's Guillotine. They had no more Reviver Seeds left.

Ezra turned back to Formora just in time to be knocked to the ground with yet another Shadow Ball. Kialandi flew in front of her, and created a pink ball in front of his mouth. He sent the ball upwards, where it broke and turned into multiple beams that fell down all around the room. One of the Draco Meteors hit Ezra, and she was tossed right into Firnen's waiting Dragon Claw.

She fell flat on her face. There was the sound of Blizzard, then Ice Beam, and a cry of pain from Carys. Somehow, Ezra knew that Carys had been defeated once and for all.

She struggled to get up, but each movement sent fresh waves of pain through her. She managed to get herself into a push-up position, but was unable to stand back up. All she could do was hold the position. She raised her head, and spotted Formora standing in front of her. The rage had left her eyes, and only a cold, expressionless face remained. Formora held out her hand, and another Shadow Ball appeared. She prepared to throw it down on Ezra, but then paused.

"No." She said thoughtfully after a moment. "It's not time yet."

Ezra couldn't remain in her current position any longer, and her arms gave out. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.

* * *

Ezra woke with a pounding headache. She tried to touch her head, but she found she couldn't move. She looked down, and found that she was tightly tied to a tree outside Primordial Ruins. The giant tree that marked the entrance was nearby. She could see their bag, along with the Space Globe, lying nearby. Team Renegade was nowhere to be seen, but they had to be close.

"Ezra?" Carys' whisper came from beside her. Ezra looked, and she could _just_ see the edge of Carys' body on the other side of the tree they were tied to.

"I'm awake." Ezra whispered back.

"Can you singe the ropes off?" Asked Carys. Ezra tried, but no matter how much she bent her head forwards, her flame could not touch the ropes.

"No. Can you slice them off?" Ezra sighed.

"No..." Carys said after a moment.

"We can't just sit here! Who knows what they're going to do to us?" Winced Ezra.

"Maybe...maybe we can ambush them. When they come back, pretend to still be , when they least expect it, we attack them, grab our stuff and the Space Globe, and run for it. We're by Destiny Ridge, right? We can hoof it to Victini's dungeon! They don't know she left." Suggested Carys.

"That might work. Okay, let's do it." Ezra nodded.

"Put out your flame." Said Carys.

"Why?"

"Your flame is always out whenever you're asleep or unconscious. If it's alight, they'll know something's up." Carys answered.

"Oh." Distantly, she could hear voices. "They're coming. Hurry!" She hissed. She closed her eyes and pretended to be unconscious. It wasn't hard; the overuse of adrenaline during the battle left her feeling so _tired._ She turned off her flame. It was an odd sensation, not having it alight. It felt almost like she was missing a body part.

Team Renegade approached soon after.

"They're still out cold." Came Firnen's voice.

"Hmph. You'd think Arceus would choose someone with a little more strength to be Its champion." Said Formora.

"Are you going to kill them now, My Lady?" Asked Kialandi.

"No, not just yet. I am going to extract every last ounce of suffering from Ezra before I allow her to die. Take them and the Space Globe to the compound. Firnen and I will continue tracking _them_." Said Formora after a moment, sounding rather indifferent to the fact that she was going to take two lives. Ezra didn't know who '_they'_ were, but she hoped that, whoever they were, would escape.

"My Lady?" Kialandi replied, sounding startled. Clearly he had not been expecting that order.

"What's wrong, Kialandi? Would you rather I set them _free_?" Demanded Formora. Ezra could hear the _snikt_ of Formora's bloodied switchblade being opened.

"Er, of course not, My Lady! Never! I look forward to observing you as you practice your most beloved craft onto these two oh-so-deserving wretches." Kialandi said hastily.

There was a pause, then Formora said, "Well, go on, then."

Ezra felt the ropes around them be untied, and she forced herself to lie limp instead of tense with fear and adrenaline. She felt herself be roughly grabbed and placed upside down into Kialandi's two-fingered hands. She didn't dare make an escape right then and there, not when Formora was looking for the faintest excuse to use her knife.

"I shall be back in a few hours, My Lady. But by then, I am certain you will have personally taken down our most elusive foes." Kialandi flattered Formora after lots of jostling.

"Mmph. Just go." Said Formora.

Ezra felt Kialandi flap his wings, and suddenly she was no longer touching the ground. They went higher, and higher, and higher still, until Ezra was quite certain that if they tried to make their escape right then, they'd end up falling to their dooms. She felt panic seize her. Now how would they escape? She certainly had no desire to end up in a Dark prison, to be tortured and killed. Well, she had no choice but to wait until Kialandi landed. She settled in for an uncomfortable ride.

About an hour later, Ezra felt Kialandi descend.

"Oh goodness me, I am dreadfully thirsty after that battle. I'd better rehydrate myself before continuing." His voice sounded oddly loud.

"I'm all alone, carrying nothing but two captives, their bag, and the Space Globe. Hmm, I'm such an easy target!" He continued. As he continued descending, Ezra could hear the rush of a river.

"Y'know, it'd be a real shame if I were to be, oh I don't know, attacked by Shadow Ball right about now." Kialandi said casually. Ezra frowned mentally. What was he doing?

"Ah, my back hurts from carrying all this stuff. The Pumpkaboo's nice and asleep, so she would never bother me if I were to untie her from my back while I got a drink." Said Kialandi as he landed, setting Ezra gently down onto grass. She risked a peek, and saw him set down the Space Globe beside her, and untie ropes around his belly. He pulled off the ropes and set Carys down onto the ground, along with their bag.

"There! Nice and asleep. They could never ambush me with Shadow Ball right now. _Wink. Wink._" He said empathetically, staring at them both. Oh Arceus, he was letting them _go_!

Ezra risked opening her eye fully, staring hard at Kialandi. He saw, but turned to face the river.

"You know, it'd be a real shame if Hoopa were to rescue you right now. If I were to get Shadow Balled—and Shadow Balled only—I could convince My Lady that I was ambushed, and I certainly did not—gasp—let you go." He said.

"What are you saying?" Demanded Ezra, throwing caution to the wind. She sat up, staring at Kialandi hard, reigniting her flame.

"You know exactly what I'm saying." H replied, drinking from the river.

"But...why?" Asked Carys, getting up as well. Kialandi turned to look at them sadly.

"You saw how much she's changed." He said unhappily. Ezra did not have to wonder who 'she' was. "She's been hallucinating a lot lately, and even Firnen and I are hardly trusted by her anymore. You haven't seen the damage she's done back home. She—" But Kialandi cut himself off, shaking his head.

"Carys, I need you to Shadow Ball me over and over." He ordered.

"Why Shadow Ball?" Asked Carys.

"Hoopa knows that move, and I need to make it seem as if he ambushed me and rescued you. I can't go back to Formora with burn marks and Razor Leaf scratches; she'd know instantly that you two surprised me, and trust me, if she thought I wasn't good enough anymore..." He shuddered.

"She would respect me getting snuck up on by Hoopa. He's a legendary, and a very powerful one. It'd make more sense to her if he rescued you than you two overpowering me. Granted, I'll still have to beg her mercy, but..." He shook his head.

"We're wasting time. Just do it!" He barked, bracing himself for the blow. Carys hesitated for just a moment before blasting him with Shadow Ball. Kialandi's face did not change as he took the attack.

"We trained ourselves to not flinch whenever we took a hit. It's an intimidation technique. The foes get scared if they think you don't feel pain." He explained stoically, hovering a few yards in the air. He then let himself fall down onto the ground, without even trying to break his fall. He did this three more times.

"What are you doing?" Asked Ezra.

"Making it look like I was also hit with Psychic. Carys, another Shadow Ball." He grunted. Carys obliged. After Kialandi had thoroughly beaten himself up, he nodded at the Space Globe and bag.

"Go on, take them." Ezra and Carys put the Globe into the bag, and Carys slung it over her shoulder.

"Don't tell anyone I did this, aside from Hoopa. Swear him to secrecy, and get him to back up the story that he ambushed me." Kialandi ordered.

"Come with us." Ezra said unexpectedly. She paused, surprised she heard herself say such a thing. Kialandi only laughed ruefully.

"I don't have that option, Ezra. I must remain with the Dark. I must return to Formora, Firnen, and my dearest Cate."

"Why not?" "Who's Cate?" Ezra and Carys asked at the same time. Kialandi shrugged.

"Don't let this encounter sully your image of me. I am still Dark. Like attracts like, and I must stay with my brethren-in-all-but-blood. My sweetheart, Cate, still remains at home. I shan't leave her. ...You need to go. I need to get back to My Lady." He said abruptly, standing up.

"Thank you, Kialandi." Ezra nodded solemnly. Kialandi nodded back, and touched a foreleg to his head in a salute.

"When we next meet, it will be as if this never happened. I will not show mercy again." He warned, hovering in the air.

"We understand. Farewell." Said Carys as turned to fly off. He paused, then turned back to them.

"Oh, by the way...the Original One has approximately five more days of life left." He added, flying off before the duo could say anything.

Once he was out of sight, the duo looked at each other, troubled. If Kialandi was willing to betray his champion, then that meant Formora was getting too Dark for even the Dark to handle. It was very worrying, but for now, they needed to get back home. As for Arceus, their deadline was in five days? Well, they were planning on saving It in two days. That was plenty of time.

Trying to quell their misgivings, they set a course for home.

* * *

**Lily Town**

They largely ignored the cheers from the town as they walked through the streets. They didn't have time for celebration just yet; right now, they needed to see Hoopa.

The townsfolk demanded to see the Space Globe, so, Team Banshee obliged, hoping that afterwards they could do their own thing. They held up the object, and the audience oohed and aahed at the beauty of the craftsmanship.

"Wow! You've got everything! That's amazing!" Whistled Jumpluff.

"Yeah. Tomorrow we take a day off and prepare for Celestial Spire. Day after we tackle the dungeon itself." Ezra nodded.

"While you two were still at the Ruins, we asked for volunteers to help Cresselia and Xerneas with the Dark HQ. All of the exploration teams here in Lily Town—plus us, of course—are going, as well as Hoopa, Victini, and Franziska." Said Meloetta.

"I know you'll succeed in taking them down. Speaking of Hoopa, we need to talk to him." Said Carys, looking around.

"I'm here! Whatcha need?" Hoopa raised his hand while he was hula-hooping with his hoop.

"Can we talk to you in private? It's about...uh...your houseguests." Ezra asked. Hoopa shrugged, and he led them to the clearing outside of town.

"What's up?" He asked.

"It's not about the Lake Trio. Listen." Ezra said urgently, and together the duo explained what had happened in Primordial Chamber, and how they were set free. Hoopa was surprised, but readily agreed to keep up the charade that he rescued them.

"I went to the north to play in the snow a few hours ago. I can just say I checked in on you guys and saw that you were being kidnapped." He shrugged.

"You're the best." Ezra and Carys said, hugging him. They promised him a dozen of Franziska's donuts the next day, and the three went back into town.

The duo then explained why they were so late coming back, with Hoopa chiming in to add details about the 'rescue'. The town, understandably, was horrified, and ever so thankful that the duo had made it home safe.

They didn't have time to ask Team Siren about the visions they had seen in Dialga's Roar of Time, as the trio were constantly pelted with questions about the Regis and the Unown. Sora was especially interested in the talking dungeon Pokemon, and he asked them to give a detailed explanation of the Unown. It was late when Team Siren returned home, and they went straight for bed. With nothing else to do, Team Banshee did the same.

* * *

"I can't talk much tonight, but I wanted to say great job, all of you. The Space Globe and Shards are all in your possession, and all you need to do now is take them to Celestial Spire and Arceus. As for you, Team Siren, just hang tight tomorrow. When we set out for the island, meet us at Destiny Ridge." Cresselia smiled warmly at them.

"Will do." Meloetta nodded.

"Oh, we learned something interesting today." Ezra recalled. "We were told that Arceus will live for five more days."

"Where did you hear that?" Cresselia frowned.

"From...a confidential source. Sorry." Ezra hesitated.

"I see. It's of no consequence to me. I have my own hidden sources, I should not fault you for keeping yours a secret. ...I need to go. Now. I'll speak to you all tomorrow." Cresselia said suddenly, whipping her head to the left and staring at something that wasn't there.

Ezra did not get a chance to say goodbye as Cresselia ended the meeting.

* * *

**Well. Formora snapped. Makes you wonder what happened to cause her to be that way. And who knew Kialandi had it in him to let the heroes free?**

**I think that this Team Renegade theme is my favorite of them all, past and future.**

**Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this extra-long post and its unorthodox dungeon. Beep. **

**The next post will contain: a day off, problem solving, and a hysterical Cresselia.**


	70. Chapter 70

They finally got a chance to talk to Team Siren the next morning, when the trio were heading out to get supplies from a few dungeons. Ezra and Carys caught up with them in the clearing outside of town.

"Team Siren! Wait up!" Ezra yelled. The trio stopped, and Team Banshee skidded to a halt.

"What's up?" Asked Ranna.

"We wanted...to ask you...what you all...saw...in Dialga's...Roar of...Time." Explained Ezra, panting.

"If you don't mind." Added Carys.

"Why? Did you see visions too?" Asked Dyrim. Ezra and Carys nodded. Team Siren all looked at each other, and shrugged.

"Yeah, sure. I'll go first. Let's see...I was hit...four times. The first vision I saw was of me leaving my mother and older brother to become an exploration team." Recalled Dyrim. "The second was of me, Ranna, and Meloetta finding the Secret Slab, which was the very first ancient treasure we'd ever found."—Ranna and Meloetta smiled at this memory—"And the last two, well, you heard me ask Dialga about them. The third...I was quite dead—a large gash on my forehead—and my body had been discarded under a tree. There was snow all around, so it was clearly winter. And as for the fourth one, me, Ranna, and Meloetta were jumping into a dungeon underneath a lake. There were trees all around, and they were just beginning to bloom, so I knew it was springtime." Dyrim concluded.

"So, in short, I saw two memories, what will happen to me if Ezra fails, and what will happen if Ezra succeeds." He shrugged, wincing.

"Both of our third visions showed us what would happen if we failed as well, and our fourth visions showed what would happen if we succeeded." Nodded Ezra, gesturing to Carys.

"We've been trying not to think about the worst-case visions, obviously. Anyways, I was only hit twice, so I didn't see how I would die or what I'd be doing if you guys win. My first vision was a memory of me seeing my little sister for the first time, and my second was of becoming a part of Team Siren." Ranna shrugged apologetically.

Everyone turned to Meloetta, who was looking uncomfortable.

"What did you see, Meloetta?" Asked Carys. Meloetta bit her lip, but sighed and answered.

"I was hit four times, like Dyrim. My first vision was of me giving my very first concert in Singing Hills. My second was me leaving Singing Hills for Firewood City. My third...I wasn't dead, but...I was in an underground prison. I ached all over, and my legs felt like they'd been cut with knives. I couldn't look down to see. I heard the sound of a door opening, and I heard myself begin to sob and shake uncontrollably." Meloetta explained sadly.

The other four were stunned, horrified.

"What...what about your fourth? That has to be good, right?" Dyrim asked gently. But Meloetta only burst into tears, and no matter how hard the others tried to get her to tell them what she had seen, she refused. She calmed down after a few minutes.

"I-it's all right. Don't worry, I'm still alive and well in the fourth vision. It's just...heartbreaking." Meloetta shook her head dully. "Once it comes true, I'll be fine. I'll have had enough time to come to terms with it." She tried to smile.

"Anyways, what did you two see?" She asked Team Banshee, changing the subject. Team Banshee told the trio each of their visions.

"Who all were with you in that chamber?" Meloetta asked Carys after she had finished telling them of her fourth vision.

"Uh, I didn't recognize them all...there was Ezra, everyone from town, you three, the Bravo Specials, Team Triple S, the HB, a Minun, a Karrablast, a Honchkrow, a Metang, Celebi, Hoopa, Victini, Cresselia, I think Xerneas, a tall green Pokemon I _think_ is Virizion, a Pokemon that looked a bit like Entei, I think Keldeo? Maybe? Anyway, and a tall gray Pokemon that looked like it had glaciers for wings, and ice on its head." Recalled Carys. Meloetta nodded sadly.

"Ah. I see. Thank you." She whispered. She straightened, and got a determined look on her face.

"I'd rather not think about my visions of the future now, though. I've been trying to focus on exploring instead. We actually really need to get going. Is there anything you two need before you go to Celestial Spire tomorrow?" She asked.

"Uh...maybe a Nether Globe? But we don't—"

"On it. If you can find someone with a Swap Cauldron, you'll have it by this evening. I think Neal has one." Ranna interrupted Ezra.

"Oh, no, you really don't have to." Ezra shook her head.

"Please. You're going to need every advantage you can get with Celestial Spire. And honestly, finding the ingredients for a Nether Globe is not at all difficult for us." Dyrim dismissed.

"Uh...well, if you say so." Ezra frowned.

"We already have some Shady Dust, so all you'll need to find is two Purple Silks and another Shady Dust." Carys said helpfully.

"Thanks. Well, we'll be seeing you!" Ranna waved as Team Siren set off.

* * *

The duo returned to town, and headed into Neal's dessert shop. The scent of sugary delights washed over them the second they entered the store. Hoopa was busy washing the counter when they arrived, but he grinned widely when he saw them.

"Ezra! Carys! Come to give me more of Franziska's donuts?" He laughed. They had given him a dozen of the Dewott's donuts earlier that morning, in thanks for keeping Kialandi's secret safe.

"Haha, you wish. Hey, do you know where Neal keeps his Swap Cauldron?" Asked Ezra.

"Somebody say my name?" Neal poked his head out from the door leading to the kitchens. It was very sunny outside, so he was in his Sunshine Form.

"We heard you had a Swap Cauldron somewhere in here. We're going to need it this evening." Answered Carys.

"Really now? Hm, I haven't had any requests to use it in a long while. Yeah, I have one. It'll need some cleaning, but luckily I can get it done early tomorrow." The Cherrim shrugged.

"Oh, you're awesome." Carys nuzzled her former landlord. He hugged her back.

"As soon as the brownies come out of the oven, I'll get to it." Neal told them. A ding came from within the kitchen.

"Speaking of which. I have to take care of them now, but it was nice seeing you two." Neal waved as he hurried back to the kitchen.

"Bye bye!" Team Banshee chorused as they left.

With that out of the way, they then headed into Sora's Library to get him to open the six Boxes they had come across in Primordial Ruins. After paying the enigmatic Reuniclus his 900 (!) Poke fee for the six items, he began opening them.

The Sinister Box held a Grass Gummi, which Carys happily ate. The Dainty Box had a Heal Seed inside, the Nifty Box held a Reviver Seed (it really _was_ Nifty!), the Light Box had a Scyther Fang, the Glittery Box had a Togepi Dew, and the Gorgeous Box had an Eevee Card in it.

Team Banshee then sold the exclusive items and the Heal Seed at the markets, then used the money to purchase a Reviver Seed, as they now only had three left. They then took a few items out of storage so that they now had their usual dungeon-exploring gear, and headed back home.

* * *

"How are we going to fit all 18 Shard plus the Space Globe in our bag, and still have enough room for our other items?" Carys asked Ezra as they entered the Lofts.

"Oh, I was just about to find you for that. I have a solution." Pelipper called from his post at the exploration team registration desk. He took another bag from underneath the desk, and flew over to them.

"I spoke with the Exploration Federation about it, and they agreed to allow you to carry another bag for your journey through Celestial Spire." He beamed, holding the bag out to them. Grinning, Ezra slung the bag over her shoulder.

"They agreed that, in such desperate times, they would bend the rules to allow the Champion of Light to carry another bag, containing the 18 Shards and the Space Globe, up to the peak of the dungeon. But, if you live, you'll need to return the bag immediately." Pelipper warned.

"They'd seriously do that for us?" Ezra asked, awed.

"Of course! Anything to help the Light's Chosen succeed." Pelipper beamed. Ezra returned the gesture, and she surprised Pelipper by flinging her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, and thank the Exploration Federation for us, will you?" She asked.

"Will do. Now, what will you two do on your day off?" Pelipper asked back.

"I dunno. Maybe go to the hot springs again?" Frowned Ezra, releasing her grip on Pelipper.

"Ooh, I'd like that." Carys sighed in bliss. Ezra grinned.

"Hot springs it is! Thanks again, Pelipper!" She laughed as they exited the building, heading for the springs.

* * *

And so, Team Banshee spent the day at the hot springs, basking in the soothing hot water that washed away all stresses and worries. Truth be told, Ezra was quite glad they came here. She hadn't told Carys or anyone else, but deep down she was petrified about tomorrow. The fate of the whole world lay on her shoulders, and tomorrow she'd either save the world or die a horrible death. No pressure whatsoever. She honestly had no idea how she would go about taking Formora's life—it would be bad enough at having to see the cruel Froslass' blood—but now that she was half-submerged in gloriously-hot water, she found her troubles melting away, just like an ice cream cone in the middle of July.

When the time came for them to leave, Ezra was quite reluctant to get out of the water. Heh, the irony of it; a fire-type unwilling to get out of water.

Eventually, though, she got out of the springs, and together she and Carys headed back home.

* * *

They arrived as the sun was halfway through setting, and at the same time Team Siren was arriving home as well.

"Woo! What a day! Fifteen dungeons in nine hours! That's almost a new record." Laughed Ranna as they walked through town. Spotting Team Banshee, they ran over.

"Heya! We have a gift or three for you." Meloetta grinned, looking much happier than she had this morning. She held out a pouch of purple dust, and two swatches of purple fabric.

"Ohhhh! Thank youuuuu!" Carys gasped, nuzzling each member of Team Siren. Ezra did the same, only since she had arms, she went for hugging the trio instead.

"It was nothing, really! A piece of cake." Dyrim laughed.

"We'll make a Nether Globe first thing tomorrow morning." Nodded Ezra.

"Very nice, very nice. Well, I dunno about you all, but I am _starving_." Ranna exclaimed, patting her rotund belly.

"You're a sphere with arms and legs; you're not starving." Meloetta mock-chastised.

"Shut up or I'll make more music puns like I did earlier." Ranna threatened.

"Oh Original One no! I'll hush." Meloetta groaned.

Dyrim, Ezra, and Carys all laughed merrily, and together the five entered the Lofts, where they sat down to a delicious dinner of spaghetti and salad with garlic bread.

After dinner, the residents played Go Fish, 21, and poker until it was time for bed.

Ezra's worries about the next day came back to her, but fortunately she fell asleep before they could plague her mind and keep her awake.

* * *

"Ezra! Carys! Oh, thank Arceus." Cresselia wailed. The backdrop was a dank, moist cave instead of the usual Lily Town.

"What's wrong?" Asked Ezra, getting a bad feeling. Cresselia was trembling all over, and her eyes were bloodshot from loads of crying. Her eyes darted back and forth as if she was afraid of being attacked. She was hyperventilating as well. Ezra was reminded of the time how Cresselia appeared when she told them of Arceus' last Shard being ripped from Its body. She had looked similar then, but now...now she looked worse, somehow. Something must be very, _very _wrong.

"It's Xerneas. He...He was captured...this afternoon by...Giratina." The last word was a faint whisper, and Cresselia immediately burst into tears. The background shimmered, and changed without warning.

They were now in a jungle that was overgrown with plants. It appeared to be the end of some dungeon. The sun was directly overhead, so it must have been around noon. There was a _huge_ lake that reflected the sky nearby. Kialandi and Firnen were staring intensely where Cresselia was still sobbing, but they didn't make a move. There was noise going on behind Ezra and Carys, and they turned to see what all the commotion was about.

"—Drown you like a sack of dumb Lillipups!" Formora was screaming at who could only be Xerneas.

He was a cervine Pokemon with a blue head and neck and black body and tail. He had an eight-horned set of antlers on his head that looked quite like the top half of an 'X'. His antlers made him only a couple feet taller than Cresselia. He was standing near the lake, looking horrified. This had to be Cresselia's memory of what had happened. She had not noticed she had unwittingly changed the scenery. Ezra then realized Cresselia and Xerneas must have been the Pokemon Team Renegade had been after yesterday. And they had finally caught up.

"Why would you do that to Lillipups?!" He demanded, aghast.

"Because they're cute and cuddly!" Growled Formora, preparing a Blizzard. Xerneas had been preparing to run, but at this answer, he paused, looking very confused at Formora.

"Are...you coming on to me?" He asked.

A millisecond later, he was brutally launched into the lake by Formora's Blizzard. One minute passed, then two. Ezra was almost certain he had indeed drowned when his head popped up from the water, a quarter of a mile out into the lake.

"I take that as a yes?" He called, swimming back to the shore with powerful strokes. Before Formora could blast him again, he jumped high into the air, sailing over Formora's head, where he landed a few meters away from her.

"Look, girl, you're fun and all, but I'm not really the dating type." He continued conversationally. Ezra tilted her head, confused. Did he not understand the sheer danger he was in?

Formora's retort was lost as a roar came from nowhere. The lake turned purple, and a maelstrom of energy began churning, turning the lake into a whirlpool. Another high-pitched shriek pierced Ezra's eardrums, and something serpentine and even taller than Dialga came out of the lake. The thing was white, but it began to morph, growing smaller and sprouting two Golbat-like wings. It grew six legs and a long tail, and eventually it stopped glowing.

Ezra let out a small scream as Giratina, the Dark Lord, appeared. With one great sweep of his tail, he knocked Xerneas off his feet, where the stag-like Pokemon was sent flying fifty feet before landing roughly on his right side. A small gasp came from where Cresselia was still sobbing. Although she didn't move, Kialandi and Firnen suddenly flew in front of her, preparing a Draco Meteor and Guillotine in warning, as if she'd started to try and help her ally.

Giratina reached Xerneas in only two strides. He lifted a massive forefoot, and brought it down brutally on Xerneas's ribcage, trapping most of his torso and all of his back end underneath it. The black and blue Pokemon let out a scream. He struggled wildly, but Giratina held him fast.

Formora was by her lord in a flash. With her trademark sadistic grin, she took Xerneas' left foreleg, and began to bend it slowly to a 90 degree angle.

"That doesn't bend that way! _That doesn't bend that way!_" Xerneas yelled, gritting his teeth, helpless to do anything as Formora kept bending his leg at an unnatural angle.

With a giggle, she wrenched Xerneas' leg so that it was parallel with his torso. There was a sickening _**pop**_ as Xerneas' leg was completely and utterly dislocated.

"_**NOT THAT WAY EITHER!**_" Xerneas roared, writhing in agony.

"**That's enough, Formora.**" Rumbled Giratina. Formora ignored him and pulled out her switchblade.

She put it gently, almost lovingly, on Xerneas's ribcage, right where his heart was. She felt for the space in between his ribs, and began to slowly raise her blade.

"**That's enough, Formora."** Giratina repeated, sounding annoyed. Formora didn't seem to hear as she brought her arm down.

Her blade hit a green shield, generated by Giratina. The Protect had extended itself to include Xerneas, and Formora's blade bounced harmlessly off thedome.

"**I said, **_**enough**_." Giratina said in a tone that brooked no argument. Formora actually _glared_ at her lord, but wordlessly sheathed her knife and put it back in her Froslass Bow.

Another gasp came from where Cresselia was standing, and the background turned and began to shift rapidly away from the battle. Cresselia must have fled at this point.

"O-oh..." The real Cresselia said, bringing her hands away from her eyes, looking surprised. "I didn't realize I was broadcasting my memory...You saw everything?" Team Banshee nodded wordlessly. Cresselia sighed, and wiped at her eyes.

"That happened twelve hours ago. After Fromora tried to stab Xerneas, I couldn't take anymore, so I ran. Like a coward. I abandoned my closest ally, and now he's in the hands of the Dark." She drooped.

"If you had stayed, you would have been captured too." Carys said firmly.

"Carys is right. I'm sure Xerneas wouldn't have wanted you to get caught too." Ezra agreed, putting a hand on Cresselia's flank.

"I guess..." Cresselia sighed, and a little bit of her old self came back to her eyes.

"I know you two had planned to tackle Celestial Spire tomorrow, but...I can't face the Dark without Xerneas. He and I, we're the closest things to leaders the Light has. I need him to be with me when we invade the enemy's base. And there's another reason we need to get him back...You see, being the Life Pokemon, Xerneas has the astounding ability to grant any Pokemon eternal life. I don't doubt Giratina will be trying to force Xerneas to give him just that." She explained.

"But...aren't the Creation Trio already immortal?" Asked Ezra, tilting her head.

"No. They cannot die of old age, is all. If they avoid disaster for as long as this world exists, then yes, they are immortal. But they can still be killed by any other means. Not even Arceus is truly immortal. But you two know that already, otherwise you wouldn't be trying to save Its life." Cresselia shook her head.

"So...tomorrow, we're going with you as you attack the Dark's HQ?" Frowned Carys. Cresselia sighed sadly.

"No, I'm afraid I will have to postpone that trip for another day. Xerneas isn't being held at that base." She said.

"Then where is he?" Asked Ezra. The scenery changed to a map of the continent. Cresselia flew over to the north, where she paused over a deep trench just half a day away from Snowy Crevice.

"This is the Sealed Abyss. This is where Xerneas is being kept prisoner. It has to be, for this is where Yveltal, the Destruction Pokemon, resides. Where Xerneas gives life, Yveltal takes it ruthlessly. It's only natural Giratina bring Xerneas to his most hated foe. I'd...I'd like you two to go with me here tomorrow, to rescue Xerneas. Yveltal's a dark/flying-type, so we'll all be at a disadvantage, but I'm a healer. If you two can keep him busy, I'll heal Xerneas, who's a fairy-type. Fairy trumps dark, so we should be able to win then." Cresselia said.

"Of course." Ezra said immediately. Cresselia looked surprised.

"Dark-type or no, granting Giratina eternal life would be devastating, plus if Formora's, ah, _persuading_ Xerneas, we need to get him outta there, pronto." Ezra continued. Cresselia blinked, then nodded.

"Thank you. Really, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I owe you a serious debt." She said.

"Don't worry about it. We're the heroes; it's what we do!" Carys cheered, doing a backflip.

"I see. ...I must rest for the mission, and so must you. I shall see both of you, for the first time in the flesh, tomorrow at the Sealed Abyss." Cresselia nodded, and the dream disappeared.

* * *

**I mean, I **_**did**_** tell you guys in the chapter 11 finale that there'd be a Life-saving rescue ;)**

**Announcement time yay: I begin school on Monday, and since college is, well, **_**college,**_** I may not have as much time to write as before. So, I just thought I'd warn you guys ahead of time that my posts may not be as frequent. I know that this is horrible timing, especially with this post and the fact that we're **_**so close**_** to the end, but alas, education comes first. Apologies, but I shall see you as soon as I can~!**

**The next post shall include: a deadly opponent, a suicide/homicide attempt, and how to save (a) Life. **


	71. Chapter 71

Ezra and Carys wasted no time in heading straight for Sealed Abyss the next morning. As soon as they woke up, they raced out of town, forgoing breakfast and shouting a hasty "No time to explain!" to the very confused townspeople.

They did not stop their sprint to the north, not even for a moment. Every moment wasted was another moment Xerneas was trapped with Yveltal, and most likely Formora and Giratina.

Finally, mid-afternoon, they arrived.

* * *

**Sealed Abyss ( watch?v=-gLy71SQu8U)**

They found Cresselia pacing frantically outside the dungeon, which was surrounded by dense forest. Since they were up in the north, it was quite chilly and already Ezra could see her breath in the afternoon air. She breathed a sigh of relief once she saw them arrive.

"Oh, thank Original One!" She exclaimed.

Cresselia looked exactly like she did whenever she visited the two in their dreams. She wore her Lunar Veil, which was a glittery pink shawl that was draped across her back. Her eyes looked slightly less red, but she still looked as if she'd seen better days.

"It's rather strange, seeing you two for the first time in the flesh. I don't know why; you look exactly the same. But that's not important. What _is _important is getting Xerneas back." Cresselia commented.

She turned to the seemingly-bottomless trench behind her.

"This is Sealed Abyss." She said unnecessarily.

Sealed Abyss looked like a giant crack had appeared in the middle of the earth, threatening to swallow everything. Ezra could only see for about half a mile down into the trench before everything was swallowed up by black. The entrance was nothing more than a set of steps leading down into the dungeon. A few flowers grew precariously alongside the edge. She dropped a stone into the void, and tried to count how many seconds it took before the rock hit the bottom, but she never heard the stone land. She gulped, feeling rather acrophobic at the moment.

"This is where Yveltal lives, and where Xerneas is being held. It's an arduous dungeon, being 30 floors long—"

"_Thirty?!_" Ezra interrupted Cresselia. "The most we've ever done is 25!"

"Well, it's only five more floors." Cresselia went on, completely unsympathetic. "And I would gladly enter a 99-floor dungeon if it meant getting my closest ally back. Now, shall we begin?"

Taking one last look at the black void, Ezra took a deep breath, and nodded.

"Excellent. Now, let us begin the mission." Cresselia nodded as she led the two down into the dungeon.

**B1F**

Sealed Abyss had gold-colored stone floors and tan walls. It also felt oddly warm for a floor so close to the surface of the earth.

"Machamp at six o'clock." Warned Carys. Ezra and Carys turned to see that the Pumpkaboo was correct. A Machamp was stalking towards them, preparing a Dual Chop. Its two front arms glowed a menacing green.

"YAH!" Shouted Cresselia, unleashing her psychic power. She trapped the foe with her Psychic, and wasted no time in slamming it as hard as she could down to the ground. The attack was so powerful, it KO'd the Machamp instantly. Ezra and Carys gaped at Cresselia.

"Hmph. Too easy." The legendary sniffed, tossing her head back.

"How did you...?" Tapered Ezra, awed at Cresselia's power.

"I trained long and hard for the upcoming battle with _Him_. These rank-and-file dungeon Pokemon only strengthen me with no risk to myself. Let me lead the way, since it seems I can one-shot the foes in this hellish place. Now, let's go rescue Xerneas." Explained Cresselia, getting a determined look on her face.

Ezra and Carys wordlessly fell in line behind the legendary as they began moving forward.

**B2F**

Cresselia took a deep breath once they had finished spawning.

"What did you do that for?" Asked Ezra, curious.

"It helps me focus and save energy. By the way, I have good news." Cresselia explained as the duo fell in line behind her. They picked a hallway and began moving towards it.

"Luna woke from her coma. As I had feared, she woke remembering only her name. Luckily, Uxie was there to restore her mind once again, and she is back in commission. Now if only Umbra's arm would heal quickly..." Cresselia sighed.

"That's awesome about Luna!" Beamed Carys.

"Yes. I am very glad that Uxie was able to return her lost memories to her. After this is all over, Ezra, he agreed to restore your mind as soon as possible." Cresselia agreed.

"Yeah, I remember you telling me." Ezra nodded. It was a very strange feeling, knowing that she might get her stolen memories back. You know, if she managed to kill Formora and save the world. Privately, she was very glad she was not ascending Celestial Spire today. She didn't think she was ready to face her destiny. In fact, she wasn't sure _when_ she'd be ready. Probably never. But if she got her memories back, she'd remember the life before this one. The life where she had lived in that port city. Obviously the girl who had been with her would be sorely missing Ezra right now. Did she think she was dead? The thought was heartbreaking.

Ezra thrust the thought out of her head. No use worrying about it now, not when there was someone who desperately needed her help. If she managed to survive, she'd worry about it later.

**B3F**

A Charizard had spawned in the room they were walking through. It surprised them all with Flame Burst, sending the familiar volley of fire from its tail. The attack spread to hit all three.

Ezra was powered-up, while Cresselia only winced from the blow. Carys screamed, and struggled to stay aloft.

"Keep that Charizard busy." Cresselia ordered as she turned to Carys. Cresselia's wings then began to shine, and sparkles began falling from them. She soared high over Carys' head, creating a shower of sparkles in the shape of a crescent moon. As the sparkles fell on Carys, her wounds immediately began to fade away until they were just a memory.

This Lunar Dance did not come without a price, though. Cresselia gasped and fell to the floor once she was done, only a bruise away from fainting. Using the last of her strength, Cresselia turned an opaque white, then rays of Moonlight began to emanate from her, restoring her own health. Cresselia then rose into the air again, drained but able to fight again. One more Moonlight and she was at full health once more.

Ezra saw little of this whole thing, though. After Cresselia had told her to keep the Charizard busy, she immediately dodged a Wing Attack. She threw a Hex at the Charizard, but it flew out of the way and hit her with Slash, brutally raking her body with extra-sharp claws. Although the move was a normal-type, it still hurt nevertheless.

She managed to pull off a successful Night Shade, but was sent flying into the wall by a Wing Attack. She fell to the floor, dazed. When she got back up again, though, she saw Cresselia violently fling a purple, crescent-shaped blade of energy from her wings and onto the Charizard, who fainted instantly.

Ezra gaped. What _was_ that attack?!

"Psycho Cut." Cresselia said upon noticing her open mouth.

Why couldn't Arceus have turned her into a psychic-type? That Psycho Cut looked _amazing_.

**B4F**

"Oh, the Stairs." Cresselia noticed when they spawned.

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Yelled Carys as she happily threw herself down them.

"...Does she do that a lot?" Inquired Cresselia after a long pause.

"Eeyup." Nodded Ezra.

**B5F**

There was a Swoobat and Arbok, respectively, in a hall.

"Team Banshee, go into the walls beside me." Said Cresselia as she dodged an Air Slash from the Swoobat. The Arbok was unable to attack any of them from its position behind Swoobat, so it was forced to sit there and do nothing.

Ezra phased into the wall to Cresselia's left while Carys entered from the right. Cresselia's Psychic missed the Swoobat, but a combo of Shadow Ball and Night Shade ensured the foe was defeated. With that one out of the way, it was the Arbok's turn.

It prepared to regurgitate an Acid Spray onto Cresselia, but before it could do that, it was brutally hit with Cresselia's Psycho Cut. It never stood a chance against the super-effective attack.

"Remind me never to become your enemy." Said Ezra as she and Carys came out from the walls.

**B6F**

Cresselia took a deep breath, just in time to get hit by a Rock Slide from a Camerupt that had spawned in with them. Glaring at it, Cresselia threw a Psycho Cut at it, but it managed to lumber out of the way.

Ezra and Carys tag-teamed to hit it with a combination of Night Shade and Shadow Ball. The Camerupt turned to face them, and lifted one massive foreleg off the ground. It stomped the ground hard enough to cause an Earthquake, dashing Ezra to the floor and making her wail in pain. Carys only grunted, being resistant to the ground-type move. Cresselia only stood there, waiting patiently for the attack to end. Thanks to her Levitate, she was not damaged by the move.

"If you're done now..." Cresselia said mildly before Psychically lifting the foe up into the air, and throwing it against the far wall. The Camerupt let out a cry of pain before slumping to the ground.

It did not get back up.

**B7F**

Cresselia flinched in surprise as she unexpectedly found the Stairs to the Secret Bazaar.

"Ah, I can never get used to that." She muttered as they descended.

"Welcome to the Secret Bazaar!" Kirlia beamed at the from the middle of the room.

"Thank you." Cresselia nodded serenely. She then turned to Ezra and Carys.

"Do you need anything?" She asked. They shook their heads. "I see. Then let us go to the next floor."

**B8F**

They had spawned with the Stairs. Carys remained silent. Ezra looked at her strangely.

"What? I decided this was too serious of a mission to joke about spawning with the Stairs." Carys shrugged, catching Ezra's look.

"Who are you and what have you done to Carys?" Demanded Ezra.

**B9F**

A Machamp and Swoobat were blocking their way in a corridor. Ezra and Carys fanned out to stand beside Cresselia in the walls beside her. The Machamp dodged Cresselia's Psycho Cut, and hit her with Dual Chop. Cresselia took the attack without complaint, and Ezra punished the foe with Night Shade.

The Swoobat began Calming its Mind, raising its special attack and special defense. Carys surprised it with Shadow Ball, and Cresselia finally managed to land a Psychic on the Machamp, KOing it instantly.

The Swoobat dodged Ezra's Hex, but ultimately fell to Carys' Shadow Ball.

**B10F**

There were Stairs with them in their spawn chamber. Eagerly, they descended.

**B11F**

The area had changed into a grayish-brown stone floor that had cracks in it and sienna-colored walls that had little spigots of lava flowing out of them. The temperature had increased sharply as well. Carys and Cresselia were beginning to sweat already, but Ezra felt like she had taken another dip in the hot spring. This heat was delicious!

"Ah...must be getting close to the halfway point. Let's not get cocky. We still have a long way to go." Cautioned Cresselia.

"Sure thing. We'll—oh, no." Ezra sighed as she triggered a Poison Trap as she was walking closer to Cresselia. She felt spikes puncture her feet, and felt a foreign substance enter her bloodstream, traveling slowly to her heart.

"Do you have any Heal Seeds or Pecha Berries?" Asked Cresselia. The duo shook their heads. "You should carry at least one of each next time. Ugh, hold on, then." Cresselia used Lunar Dance on Ezra, sending glittery sparkles down on her head. When the sparkles touched her, Ezra felt the poison dissipate.

Cresselia fell to the floor with a _thud_, no longer having the energy to levitate. Quickly, though, she used Moonlight twice in succession, effectively returning the both of them to full strength.

"Thank you!" Exclaimed Ezra.

"Try not to make me do that in a tight situation. If a pebble so much as falls on me before I can use Moonlight, I'll have wasted one of your Reviver Seeds." Cresselia grimaced before they got moving.

**B12F**

They had spawned in with a Swoobat. Cresselia took a deep breath while Ezra and Carys kicked off the fight with a Night-Ball combo. The foe swiftly flew out of the way, and sent an Air Slash at Carys. Carys wailed as the attack sent her back a few feet. Ezra avenged her friend with a critically-hit Hex.

Cresselia joined the fight too, defeating the Swoobat with Psychic. Although the attack wasn't that effective against it, Cresselia was powerful enough to defeat it anyways.

"Need my help?" The Lunar Pokemon asked Carys, who was covered in bruises. The Pumpkaboo shook her head.

"No, thank you. I'll walk it off." She said bravely, eating an apple for good measure.

**B13F**

"Almost halfway there...and in such short time, too." Marveled Cresselia solemnly.

"We'll get Xerneas out in no time!" Assured Ezra as they descended down the Stairs, which had spawned with them.

**B14F**

A Houndoom was blocking their way in a hall. Ezra had been leading this time, as there seemed to be an overabundance of Swoobats on this floor. Before she had time to react, the Houndoom dashed at her, feinting to the left, then switching directions and knocking into her with its Feint Attack. Ezra was sent flying into Carys behind her, who was then launched into Cresselia due to the force of the impact.

Ezra tried to get back to her feet, but the relentless foe used Foul Play, headbutting her before she had even recovered from the last attack. The attack critically struck, and Ezra fainted, leaving them with only two more Reviver Seeds.

"Get into the walls!" She heard Cresselia's shout a second before the white beam around her dissipated. Ezra and Carys obeyed without a thought, each diving into the walls. Now the Houndoom could only hurt Cresselia, who was much stronger than it.

The Houndoom dodged Carys' Confuse Ray, but growled when it was struck by Ezra's Hex. The foe had Flash Fire, so she couldn't use her fire-type moves on it. Come to think of it, the Houndoom was super-effective against all of them.

This did not stop them, though. Cresselia neatly dodged the foe's Fire Fang, and pummeled it mercilessly with her Psychic. The attack didn't do very much, but it made the foe pause for a second. Seeing an opportunity, Ezra and Carys used a Night Shade/Razor Leaf combo.

The Houndoom howled in pain, and began to latch red chains of energy onto their bag, as Embargo could hit someone who was in a wall. The chains surrounded their bag tightly, preventing them from using any items.

In retaliation, Carys finally nailed the foe with Confuse Ray. Two Psychics and a Night-Leaf combo later, the troublesome foe was finally defeated.

**B15F**

They had found a sealed chamber on this floor. Ezra popped into the room to find a black swatch of cloth lying on the floor. She picked it up, and returned to the others.

"Black Silk, the exclusive item for dark-types." Observed Cresselia, upon seeing what Ezra held.

"We don't know many dark-types, but I think we'll keep it, in case someone wants it." Shrugged Ezra.

—**Waypoint—**

"The waypoint. Only fifteen more floors to go." Commentated Cresselia as Ezra went to touch the Kangaskhan statue.

"Let's allow ourselves a few minutes to rest. We will need to be at full strength when we face Yveltal, and whoever else may be with him." The Lunar Pokemon suggested.

The trio took a ten-minute break, taking turns to drink at the small puddle of water that had pooled alongside the east and west walls. The water was flat, but hydrating all the same. All too soon, it was time to get going again.

**Sealed Abyss Pit ( watch?v=asdr-Sj5vLU)**

**B1F**

The area was similar to before, only now the floor was a deep reddish-brown that seemed to be situated directly above lava, as the rock was pleasantly heated. Small gray pebbles littered the floor. The walls still oozed lava and were still made of stone, but now it was the colors of fire. They glowed with the same intensity as well. Pools of lava could now be seen in the room they were in, and the temperature had gotten even hotter.

All in all, Ezra could definitely vacation here, if it weren't the hidey-hole of Yveltal.

"I think we should discuss the battle strategy against Yveltal. Once we locate Xerneas, I shall heal him until he's able to stand. I won't be much use against Yveltal, but I can restore you both to full health." Cresselia said, trying to ignore the heat as much as she could. Beads of sweat were already starting to form on her skin.

"But...Formora dislocated his leg." Protested Ezra, wincing at the memory.

"I can pop it back into place. I am the healer of nightmares, and I am not limited to the dream variety. I'm somewhat of a doctor. It won't be pleasant, but Xerneas, being the Life Pokemon, is gifted with rapid regeneration. I don't know who else will be there, so...I'm hoping you two can keep everyone distracted long enough for me to heal Xerneas. After that, get your Escape Orb ready. We'll need it." Cresselia explained.

"And after that?" Asked Carys.

"We make a run for it. Hopefully Xerneas will be able to hold out for a while, but...he'll need to rest soon after we rescue him. Now, as for Yveltal...being the Destruction Pokemon, naturally his strategy is all offense. He'll attack you with powerful moves, but they'll take a lot of energy out of him, leaving him completely open to attack. That is your chance. He'll also most likely utilize his Ability, Dark Aura, which strengthens his dark-type attacks. Also, whatever you do, _don't get hit by his Oblivion Wing_. That attack...let's just say there's a reason why Yveltal is the death legendary. Also, he'll regain health." Cresselia shuddered.

"What does Oblivion Wing look like?" Asked Ezra, imagining a Pokemon's wings turning black.

"It's a violet beam. You'll know it when you see it." The Lunar Pokemon explained.

Ezra and Carys shared a worried look. They didn't have much of an exit strategy, but they couldn't turn back now. They'd just have to hope they could elude the Dark.

**B2F**

"Hullo, ladies!" They heard a Kecleon say to them as they entered a chamber.

"Good day. What wares do you have?" Greeted Cresselia as the trio came over.

"Ah, I have three Big Apples, a Heal Seed, a Pecha Scarf, and a Blowback Orb!" The shopkeeper said proudly, gesturing to his wares. Cresselia looked back at Ezra and Carys, who shook their heads. They didn't need anything.

"I will take a Big Apple, if I may." Cresselia said, turning back to the seller.

"Of course!" He beamed. Cresselia handed him the money, and he gave her the Big Apple.

"Thank you. Have a good day." She nodded respectfully.

"Anytime! Y'all have a good exploration!" The shopkeeper waved as they exited the room.

**B3F**

They spawned in with a Camerupt and Toxicroak. Cresselia went to go tangle with the Toxicroak while Team Banshee dealt with the Camerupt.

Their fiery foe started off by Yawning at Ezra, who was immune to the attack, thanks to her Insomniscope. She threw a Hex at the big lug of a Pokemon, who was too big and burly to dodge. Carys followed up by taking the foe Trick-or-Treating.

The Camerupt used Earthquake, sending Ezra into a world of pain. Carys and Cresselia weren't bothered by the attack, but the Toxicroak, having miraculously survived Cresselia's Psychic, fainted at this room-wide attack.

Ezra gritted her teeth and picked herself up from the floor, where she had fallen during the big shake. Together, she and Carys defeated the large Pokemon with a combo of Shadow Ball and Hex.

**B4F**

"Stairs." Ezra and Carys chorused at the same time, pointing to them.

**B5F**

"Two in a row." Marveled Cresselia, looking surprised.

**B6F**

An Arbok had spawned in with them. It threw up its Gastro Acid all over Cresselia, who was busy taking a deep breath. The pink and purple legendary only raised an eyebrow at the foe. Cresselia's Levitate was temporarily disabled; oh no, whatever would she do?

She used Psycho Cut. That was all she needed. Thankfully, the intestinal fluids all over her body dissipated after a minute.

**B7F**

"May I ask you something?" Ezra asked as they were walking through a hall. She had been wondering this for some time.

"Of course." Cresselia nodded, not turning back.

"How did you and Xerneas avoid turning to the Dark side?"

Cresselia was silent for some time. She didn't make a sound, not even when she stopped to KO a Machamp with Psychic.

"I believe I told you once that _He_ has amassed such an army because _He_ knew that _His_ followers desired more in their lives. Some Pokemon wanted more money, others happiness, and some just wanted a place to call home. _He_ fed on those desires, and tricked them all into joining _Him_. Formora is no different. She wanted to be happy for once in her horrid life, and he gave her the opportunity. As for me, I am a solitary woman. I liked to be alone in my dungeon, going out occasionally to dispel someone's nightmare. The Lunar Wind, my disciples, served me loyally for years. I had everything I could ever want: friends, peace and quiet, and the satisfaction of seeing someone be healed by my hands. I had no reason to join the Dark. Xerneas, as you'll come to find out, is a hedonist. He enjoys traveling across the land, seeing new places, meeting new people. He finds fun wherever he goes. He too had no reason to join the enemy. We were happy with our lives, completely satisfied. Only those who want something that they feel is missing from their lives join _Him_." Cresselia narrated.

"I see. Thank you." Nodded Ezra, thinking hard about what Cresselia had just said.

"Anytime."

**B8F**

A Toxicroak spawned with them as they were going through a chamber. It managed to dodge Cresselia's Psycho Cut, and quickly hit Ezra with a Sucker Punch. Recoiling from the attack, Ezra took a few steps back. The Toxicroak dove at her with Venoshock, but was caught in Cresselia's Psychic field.

One good slam later, and they no longer had to worry about the Toxicroak.

**B9F**

"We have Stairs." Reported Carys.

**B10F**

They had spawned with an Arbok and Houndoom in a very small chamber. Cresselia one-shotted the Arbok with Psychic, then gasped as she was hit by the Houndoom's Foul Play.

Immediately, Ezra and Carys pummeled it with Razor Leaf and Hex. The Houndoom then turned to them, snarling, and dove at Carys with Fire Fang. Carys barely managed to twist out of the way, and gave the foe a good rap on the back with Shadow Ball. Ezra followed up with Night Shade, and Cresselia caught it in her Psychic, slamming it down onto the ground.

The Houndoom dove at Cresselia with Feint Attack, and quickly followed up with Fire Fang. Cresselia managed to knock it away with Psycho Cut, and Team Banshee defeated the foe with another combo of Shadow Ball and Night Shade.

They all paused to catch their breaths. Cresselia used Moonlight on herself, and the trio got moving once more.

**B11F**

As they entered a chamber, Cresselia noticed something lying on the floor.

"Oh. My, how unexpected." She said, going over to pick the item up.

"What is it?" Asked Ezra, trying to see the item.

Smiling, Cresselia showed them the item. It was a Sky Blue Bow.

"You don't find many of these lying around. This bow reminds me rather of you, Ezra. It certainly matches your flame." Cresselia said, laughing.

"I think finding this bow is a sign that I was right in asking both of you to come here with me." She added, staring at the bow.

"Sure." Said Ezra.

Cresselia chuckled. "Heh, don't mind me. I am a legendary of dreams; I find hidden meanings in almost everything. Anyways, would you mind holding onto this for me? I'd like to keep it."

Team Banshee tucked Cresselia's Sky Blue Bow away, and they got moving once more.

**B12F**

An Ampharos was blocking their way in a hallway. Team Banshee fanned out once more, and Cresselia kicked off the fight with Psycho Cut. The Ampharos jumped out of the way, and smartly rapped Cresselia on the head with Thunder Punch. Cresselia easily caught it in Psychic, and held it still in the air as Ezra and Carys tossed a Flame Burst and Razor Leaf at the foe, who was helpless to do anything but take the hits.

When they were done, Cresselia threw the Ampharos against the wall, defeating it.

Soon after, a Houndoom met them. Fanning out once again, Carys used Confuse Ray on the foe, and the trio began hitting the foe over and over again before it could snap out of the confusion.

They hit it with Razor Leaf, Hex, Night Shade, Shadow Ball, Psychic, and another Razor Leaf before it fainted.

**B13F**

They found a Swoobat in a chamber. The foe started off with Future Sight, and dodged Ezra's Hex. It threw an Air Slash at Carys, but the Pumpkaboo nimbly side-stepped out of the way, returning the gesture with a successful Confuse Ray. With the foe confused, all it took was a Night Shade and Shadow Ball to defeat the foe.

**B14F**

They had spawned with the Stairs. After taking a deep breath, Cresselia led the trio over towards them. But as she was only one step away from the Stairs, she triggered a Warp Trap.

"Ugh, not again." The Lunar Pokemon groaned as she was teleported away.

Quickly, Team Banshee descended, taking care not to step on the dreaded Warp Trap.

**B15**

"You too?" Ezra asked Cresselia as they all spawned back together in a chamber with hallways in each cardinal direction.

"What?" Asked Cresselia, confused, taking a deep breath.

"You trigger an unhealthy amount of Warp Traps as well?" Amended Ezra.

"Oh. Yes. I don't know why, but I seem to attract at least one in every dungeon I visit." Frowned Cresselia.

"Join the club." Muttered Ezra.

"Ugh, heads up, we got a Charizard coming for us." Warned Carys, nodding in the northern corridor's direction, where a Charizard was indeed entering.

"This is the last floor before we find Xerneas. I am _not_ letting a mere Charizard get in my way!" Shouted Cresselia, launching a Psycho Cut at the Charizard. It took the attack—and fell. Fueled by Cresselia's desire to find Xerneas, the attack had been powered up enough to one-shot a foe she normally had to hit twice.

"Come on. We're just about there." Cresselia said grimly.

**Sealed Abyss Depths**

The first thing Ezra noticed was the heat. They were definitely deep within the earth, as lava flowed lazily through holes in the walls all throughout the massive room, which was about half a mile in diameter. Up above, the surface of the abyss could be seen, the sunset sky a mere sliver. The room looked essentially the same as the last half of the dungeon. Tunnels could be seen everywhere, and they appeared to be made artificially. This looked almost to be a sort of hideout, as rock paths led from the trench floor to these tunnels. Said paths were worn smooth by countless Pokemon walking over them.

In the middle of the floor, a red and black Pokemon was busy using a devastating Hyper Beam at the floor. A male's scream echoed through the room, and with a start, Ezra realized that someone had just been hit by the point-blank blow.

It could only be Xerneas.

Indeed, when the Hyper Beam died down, she could see a blue-and-black Pokemon lying crumpled on the ground. The red-and-black Pokemon, whose wings and tail made it look like an uppercase 'Y', flew around him. This had to be Yveltal, master of death, then. He was mainly red, with black claws on all his wings and tail and black veins running along his body. He had two three-toed legs, and was _much_ larger than Xerneas, about as tall as an Onix.

For a second, Ezra feared Xerneas was dead. But after a moment, he groaned and weakly shook his head.

"YVELTAL!" Cresselia shouted, her scream echoing all throughout the chamber. "YOU SHALL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO XERNEAS!"

Yveltal looked over at the trio, and snarled. "Cresselia! I should've expected _you_ to come here! And the other two...Ah! A Shiny Litwick and Pumpkaboo! The Chosen One and her companion! Ohhh, Master Giratina will surely thank me when I present your corpses to him." Yveltal's tail swished in delight at the thought.

"So, where are your friends? I know there are other Pokemon who live here." Demanded Cresselia, watching both Xerneas and Yveltal warily.

"Hah! You know that there are no other Pokemon but me and Xerneas here! My work requires no...collateral damage. I personally wouldn't have cared either way, but Giratina was very adamant that I not kill any allies by..._accident_." Yveltal laughed.

He spread his wings menacingly, looking very much like a living 'Y'. It would honestly be comical if his abilities weren't so..._final_.

"And now that I have the Light's leaders and Champion here in my home..._I can have finally have some _real_ fun_." He sneered, cackling wickedly.

"We'll see." Cresselia snorted. To Team Banshee, she whispered, "Keep him busy for just a few minutes, until I can reset Xerneas' leg and use Lunar Dance and Moonlight. Like, five minutes?"

Ezra and Carys didn't have time to respond, because at that moment, Yveltal began charging up another Hyper Beam. A white sphere formed in front of Yveltal's mouth, growing bigger and bigger until he let loose the devastating beam. The trio dove out of the way, and ready or not, the battle had begun.

* * *

**Boss Battle—The Life-saving Battle ( watch?v=f0gHE-l6LaA)**

Cresselia hurried towards the fallen Xerneas. Yveltal started to turn towards her, but Ezra bravely—or stupidly, depending on who was asking—hit him square in the head with a Flame Burst. Yveltal swung around to face her, staring intently.

"You can kill Cresselia any time. But how often do you get the chance to kill the Light's Chosen?" She asked him boldly, wondering just what the hell she was doing, encouraging the death legendary to go after her.

"Ooh, I like your suicidal thought, girlie. You're on!" Yveltal laughed, sending a beam made of of interlocking black rings straight for her.

Ezra easily dodged his Dark Pulse, and threw a Flame Burst right back at him. He dodged that attack as well, and his wings began glowing white.

"Hurricane! Look out!" Carys cried as she hit him with Razor Leaf. Yveltal didn't seem to notice—or care—as he then sent powerful blasts of wind at Ezra. She wasn't fast enough to get out of the way, and the blow sent her flying through the air until the left wall broke her flight.

She slid to the ground with a painful thud, only a few scant feet away from a large lava lake created by one of the lava waterfalls lazily cascading down from a huge hole in the wall. As she lay slumped against the wall, she noticed that Cresselia had only _just_ reached the wounded Xerneas, and that Yveltal had turned his attention to Carys, who was trying to hit him with Confuse Ray.

Yveltal dodged the twirling lights, and his eyes began to glow purple. An aura as black as his heart began surrounding him, only to disappear after a few seconds. Ezra was confused, then understood what he had done when he blasted Carys with an extra-powerful Dark Pulse. That must have been Dark Aura she just witnessed.

Carys was knocked roughly down into the ground, creating a foot-deep trench in the hard rock. With a groan, Ezra picked herself up and joined the fray once more.

She got Yveltal's attention with a Flame Burst, and the large Pokemon turned to face her as Carys joined her side, wincing but stoically remaining in the battle.

"Heh...not bad. But let's see if you can survive this!" Yveltal boomed, forming a violet sphere in front of his mouth.

Ezra felt her heart leap into her throat. Violet-colored attack...Oblivion Wing!

"No no _NO_!" She screamed, sprinting as fast as she could away from Yveltal. Desperately, they ran in a zig-zag pattern, to make it harder for Yveltal to hit they.

Out of the corner of Ezra's eye, she saw a large violet beam whoosh past her left side and into the far wall, where it exploded immediately, causing the entire room to shake violently. They both skidded to a stop as most of the entire back wall was vaporized upon impact. Luckily, there was more rock behind the back wall, so the five Pokemon in the room weren't going to take a lava bath. The little that was left of the wall crumbled to the floor, creating a small avalanche. Lava began spurting from cracks in the new back wall, sizzling menacingly as it made contact with the cooler floor.

Meanwhile, Cresselia had now begun her Lunar Dance, sending sparkles down upon Xerneas' head.

Ezra chucked a Stun Seed at Yveltal in an attempt to stall him, but the large Pokemon merely flew to the left, dodging with no difficulty whatsoever. In such a large area where he had loads of room to fly and maneuver in, he could easily evade almost anything they sent at him.

He began charging up another Oblivion Wing, seeming to take much pleasure in their scramble for safety.

"There!" Carys called, nodding at a path to the tunnels on the wall to their right. The path had somehow managed to avoid both lava and Oblivion Wing. They dove onto the path, belly-flopping onto the hard stone. Above their heads, Yveltal's Oblivion Wing soared mere _inches_ above them. The devastating attack collided with part of the left wall, obliterating the area wholly.

"_Come on!_" Screamed Ezra as Yveltal flew in closer. The two of them ran for a tunnel towards the lava waterfall, occasionally glancing back to see where Yveltal was.

They were almost at the tunnel when a Dark Pulse caught both of them. The blow grazed Ezra's back, and she was violently flung forward, rolling and rolling until she stopped just a couple yards away from the edge of the path. She could hear the lava below her bubble wickedly.

The Dark Pulse had also hit the entirety of Carys' front side, knocking the Pumpkaboo backwards and completely obliterating the path. Ezra was now trapped. Both fainted, but were revived a second later.

Yveltal ignored Carys, preferring to deal with Ezra, whom he was more interested in killing. As Ezra picked herself up, she saw the familiar white sphere of a Hyper Beam being charged. Wildly, she whipped around her, trying to see if there was somewhere she could take cover. There was none. She only had seven yards of path to her left, two to her right plus a lava lake, and a completely open tunnel behind her.

She turned to run down the tunnel, but the attack struck her unexpectedly, and she was thrown off the edge of the cliff, straight for the lava lake.

Screaming and scrabbling for a hold, she fell closer and closer to the lake. Then her hands managed to snag onto a rock jutting out from the side of the cliff, with only a yard between Ezra and the menacing lava. Desperately, she clung precariously to the ledge, looking down at the lake below. Although she was a fire-type and could stand on dungeon lava, _this _lava did not operate by dungeon rules. If she fell in, there'd be no trace of her left. She could feel the heat emanating from the lava, causing beads of sweat to form and drip down her body, where it fell and promptly evaporated before it could even touch the surface of the lava.

"Any last words?" Laughed Yveltal as he flew in beside her, hovering over the lake. Behind him, Ezra could see Xerneas begin to stand up, albeit uncertainly.

"_OHARCEUSTHERESLAVAPLEASEDONTLETMEFALL!_" Was about what Ezra said. Her senses were completely overwhelmed with the prospect of death only a yard below her, and didn't quite know what she was saying.

"That's the spirit." Chuckled Yveltal as he began charging up an Oblivion Wing, aiming it point-blank at her head. Ezra closed her eye and gritted her teeth, hoping her end would be swift.

"_**NO!**_" Cresselia's voice roared from nearby, and Ezra felt herself being snatched off the ledge. She screamed, certain she was falling to her death. But instead, hands carried her for a few meters, where they carefully deposited her back onto solid ground.

Ezra dared opened her eye, and sobbed in relief as she saw Cresselia hovering in front of her. She looked to her left, where the path she had stood on moments before no longer existed, having been annihilated by Yveltal's Oblivion Wing. Carys was heading towards her, and Xerneas watching the scene warily, on all four feet and looking much better.

Yveltal didn't seem to notice Xerneas as he flew in front of Ezra and Cresselia.

"Nice try, Cresselia, but this fight's not over yet! Give up on Xerneas; one Oblivion Wing and I'll never see him again for a thousand years! And then I'll kill him again, and again until he—"

"Hi Yveltal~" Beamed Xerneas as he started making his way over to the trio.

"Hi Xerneas. Until he ceases to exiiiiWHAT?!" Yveltal roared, whipping around to face Xerneas, who quickly sent the Destruction Pokemon face-first into the wall behind Ezra with Moonblast. Yveltal tried to extract himself from the wall, but the claws on his wings and tail were embedded into the rock, trapping him.

As Yveltal struggled to free himself, Carys finally caught up to Ezra and Cresselia. Xerneas too joined the four, and he leaned down to peer intensely at Ezra and Carys. He tilted his head, confused.

"Cressie, what month is it?" He asked, standing back up.

"August." Cresselia replied warily.

"...Hmph, the Halloween decorations keep getting put out earlier and earlier." Xerneas muttered.

"Xerneas, these are Ezra and Carys. You know, _our Champions?_" Cresselia glared at him.

"You didn't tell me the world depended on animated Halloween decor!" Xerneas said indignantly, tossing his head back.

"I told you they were a Litwick and Pumpkaboo." Cresselia still glared.

"Hey, um, the Litwick and Pumpkaboo are right here." Scowled Ezra.

"I know! Allow me to introduce us! I am Xerneas, and this is Cresselia! She was a hospital clown." Laughed Xerneas.

"Why do you insist on telling that to _everyone_ we meet, even though you _know_ I don't want you to?" Cresselia glowered. To Team Banshee, she explained. "A few years ago I did a brief volunteer stint at a hospital for children with leukemia. We dressed up as clowns and entertained the kids. I'm not much of a comedian, so I was horrible at the role. It's not really something I like to tell everyone. Xerneas was there as well."

"Yup! I was Chuckles the Wonder Clown, and I was _fabulous!_" Xerneas beamed.

A screech came from Yveltal, who blew away the rocks trapping him with Oblivion Wing. Now freed, he flew directly at the four. ...No, scratch that. He flew directly at Xerneas, who dodged so quickly you would have missed it if you blinked.

Yveltal, enraged that his rival had recovered, was now striking Xerneas with everything he had, going all out. Or, he would be, if any of his attacks were hitting Xerneas. The tall cervine kept prancing out of the way all too easily, like this was no big deal.

"Wow. How is he doing that?" Marveled Ezra, watching the duo.

"Patty-cake patty-cake, baker's _man!_" Sang Xerneas, turning to offense and knocking Yveltal high in the air with a Megahorn from below. He leaped high into the air, even higher than Yveltal, all the while continuing, "Bake me a cake as fast as you _can!_" At that last word, his antlers glowed white, and he once again Megahorned Yveltal, this time sending him careening into the ground, where the Destruction Pokemon created a deep Y-shaped crater in the ground in front of Ezra, Carys, and Cresselia.

Xerneas landed neatly nearby, as if he hadn't had a dislocated leg only a few minutes ago.

"Good effort, but I'm the Patty Cake champion." He beamed down at the hole.

Ezra and Carys exchanged a '_Who is this guy?_' look.

With a scream, Yveltal flew out from the hole, only to be knocked into the right-side wall with Xerneas' Moonblast. It took a solid two minutes for Yveltal to pick himself back up again. The red legendary was clearly defeated. One of his wings was hardly flapping, as if it hurt to move the limb. One of his toes was bent at an unnatural angle, and he was completely _covered _in bruises and scratches.

Yveltal shook his head painfully, then with a growl he began glowing red. The entire area started shaking uncontrollably.

"Ooh, that's not good." Xerneas said casually as Ezra struggled to stay on her feet.

"What's going on?!" She demanded as rocks began tumbling down from above. Yveltal began curling his wings and tail inward, making himself smaller. His body continued to glow red.

"So, fun fact about Yveltal and I: provided we haven't reached the end of our natural lifespan, we can choose when we die. Yveltal knows he won't win this fight, and like the _incredibly _sore loser that he is, is invoking that power right now. But wait, there's more! When _I_ die, I make an entire forest appear just like that. I create life when I die! But when _Yveltal_ dies...so does everything around him. Including us, and the lovely forest outside this dungeon." Xerneas explained conversationally.

"_WHAT?!"_ Screeched Ezra and Carys.

"The only way we'll all survive is if a devilishly handsome stag such as myself were to use Geomancy." Beamed Xerneas.

"Well then DO IT!" Yelled Ezra.

"What's the magic word?" Asked Xerneas. More rocks began tumbling down, and Yveltal's glowing reached its peak. He was ready to go.

"_JUST DO IT_!" Roared Cresselia.

"Oh, fine." Grumbled Xerneas, but a green aura began to surround him.

The aura grew to create a green dome that encompassed the four Pokemon. Not a second later, Yveltal ended his own life. A deadly red wave of energy pulsed through the dungeon and into the forest above. Xerneas struggled to keep the green dome from failing as the red wave hit it, but after a few tense moments, the wave died down, and the dungeon finally stopped shaking.

* * *

Xerneas ended his Geomancy, and began walking over to the thing that was once Yveltal. Ezra noticed that he still had a slight limp in the leg that had been dislocated.

A giant, black cocoon-like orb was sitting where Yveltal once stood. It had markings similar to his claws on the top and bottom.

"And here Yveltal shall lie for 1,000 years. Bit too short of a nap, if you ask me." Commented Xerneas unceremoniously as the other four came to look at the cocoon.

"Can...can he wake up before then?" Ezra asked nervously, feeling rather drained after the multiple near-brushes with death.

"Nah. And don't worry about his cocoon, it's indestructible, and his master will probably fetch it shortly. Although, this means he'll be around for a couple hundreds years while I'm dead myself. But then I'll wake back up, and the fun can resume." Xerneas shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Asked Carys.

"Yveltal and I, we're the Mortality Duo. When we die, we sleep for 1,000 years, then we reincarnate. We still remember our previous lives, but as the eons go on, I've forgotten my first few hundred lives. Now, can we get out of here?" Explained Xerneas.

A rumble went through the dungeon, and lava started pouring out of a crack on the back wall. The four wasted no time in escaping from the fiery death pit.

* * *

Ezra gasped as they climbed out of the Sealed Abyss. A lush forest had once surrounded the trench, but now...now it was all barren wasteland for miles around. There was not a single living thing left after Yveltal's suicide. Snow was beginning to fall, illuminating the dark area. It was nighttime, and Ezra's stomach rumbled in hunger.

"Wow. What a di—"

"_Dirty thing to do._" Cresselia interrupted Xerneas with a hard glare at him.

"Oh, so it's okay for you to call me a buck, when I am _clearly_ a stag, but it's not okay for me to say _that_?" Snorted Xerneas as the five began walking south.

"Don't swear in front of the kids. And I didn't call you a buck; I had called you an insufferable—"

"LANGUAGE, CRESSIE!" Xerneas half-roared, half-sang as they walked through the remnants of the forest.

"Okay, so, what I want to know is...how did you heal so quickly?" Demanded Ezra.

"One of my many talents is rapid healing, although it takes a lot of energy outta me. Yesterday I had my leg dislocated, but the Dark Lord had it reset. So that helped. And with Cressie's Lunar Dance, I became right as rain—for the most part—again!" Xerneas explained, catching a snowflake on his tongue.

"Why would he do that?" Asked Carys.

"Because resetting dislocated bones _hurts_, that's why! It still aches, but I'll be fine by tomorrow." Xerneas reassured. Indeed, while he tried to hide it, he still had a faint limp, and he was already starting to pant.

"Where will you two go now? And what about the invaders at Destiny Ridge? Won't they be wondering why you haven't shown up yet?" Asked Ezra as they left the extinct forest.

"I think we'll regroup at Lily Town. No one will be expecting us to go there. And while I contacted many Pokemon last night, I couldn't get them all, so there will be some Pokemon who did not get the memo. I will have lots of dream-messages to do tonight." Cresselia sighed.

"So we go play at the Dark's house tomorrow?"Asked Xerneas.

"No. We all need to rest after that battle, but you especially need to keep off that leg until you've fully healed. Here, have this Big Apple." Cresselia shook her head, and handed him the Big Apple she had bought in the dungeon. Xerneas ate it gratefully.

"Very nice, very nice. Yup, I feel better already!" He grinned. Cresselia began sobbing, and she embraced him without warning.

"_NEVER_ do that to me again! You have no idea how worried I was, what Yveltal might have been doing to you!" She demanded.

"Aw, Cressie, you know I'd never leave you. Now stop it. No crying in front of Team Banshee!" Xerneas nuzzled her for a second, then broke away from her.

Cresselia sniffed, but wiped away her tears.

* * *

**Lily Town**

It was well after midnight when the four arrived at Lily Town, but the residents were still awake. The town clamored to know what had happened, if Ezra had succeeded at Celestial Spire, and who the two newcomers were. Ezra and Carys tried to explain, but they couldn't be heard amongst the noise of the crowd.

"_QUIET!"_ Victini roared. Tiny though she might have been, her powerful voice was enough to silence the crowd.

"Thank you, Victini." Ezra said wryly. "Last night, Carys and I got a message from Cresselia saying that Xerneas had been kidnapped." The crowd gasped with horror. "We joined her today in order to go rescue him at a dungeon named Sealed Abyss. It's the home of the Destruction Pokemon Yveltal. We succeeded in our mission, and Xerneas and Cresselia have come to stay with us temporarily." Ezra gestured to the two legendaries, who stepped forward in order to be seen better by the crowd.

The town oohed and aahed at the sight of the formidable Pokemon. Xerneas raised his head.

"Hi, I'm Xerneas, and this is Cresselia!" Xerneas beamed. "She was a—"

"Shut up or I'll feed you your antlers." Threatened Cresselia, whipping around to face him.

"'Kay." He nodded amiably. Despite his lingering wounds, he still seemed quite chipper.

"..._Anyways._ Good people of Lily Town, we are indeed Cresselia and Xerneas. I'm sure you've all heard a lot about us. I do apologize for today. Yesterday Xerneas had been taken by the Dark, and I had asked Ezra and Carys to help me rescue him. Team Siren should have told you all that the invasion, which was originally planned for today, has been postponed. It will now occur on the day after tomorrow. If you have any questions, feel free to ask either me or Xerneas tomorrow morning. It is very late, and I unfortunately have hundreds of dream-messages to tend to. So, for right now, I ask that you please hold off your concerns until tomorrow." Cresselia addressed the crowd.

The crowd muttered in consternation, but thankfully understood that the four Pokemon were _exhausted_. Rose offered the two legendaries rooms free of charge, to which Xerneas and Cresselia readily agreed. As the town finally began to settle down for the night, Rose led the four to the Lofts.

"This'll be a nice change from sleeping in caves for the past three months, won't it, Cressie?" Xerneas was saying conversationally as they followed the Leavanny.

"Yes, I—" Cresselia turned to face the east, looking at something that wasn't there. She frowned.

"What is it?" Asked Ezra.

"He...wants her to lose? That's...interesting." Cresselia paused, then got a thoughtful look on her face as they entered the building. "I might just try something tonight." She wouldn't elaborate no matter how much Team Banshee and Xerneas asked.

After Ezra and Carys said goodnight to their friends, they headed straight for bed, where they fell asleep before their heads had even hit their pillows.

* * *

**Hey, a somewhat-quick update! **

**And so we conclude Chapter 12 with the ever-solemn Cresselia and the...unforgettable...Xerneas briefly living in town until the big invasion. And yes, Oblivion Wing is exactly how it's depicted here. Look it up. Believe me, I was quite confused myself when I learned that it didn't involve Yveltal's wings in the slightest. By the way, there's a very interesting and potentially-spoiling fact about that attack. See if you can figure it out :) **

**The next post shouldn't take too long for me to write, but after that...don't expect weekly updates. I mean, I'll certainly try, but I can't guarantee anything. School, plus the fact that I'm also writing another fic, shall eat up a lot of my free time. Yay .**

**Regarding the latter, don't worry, it's more of a side-project, really. That one will only be like, ten (?) posts, and will probably only get updated once or twice a month. It'll be a Kirby-themed fic.**

**Until then~**

**The next chapter shall contain: light dungeon exploring, a spooky sphere, and a vision from Victini.**


	72. Chapter 13 He Who Is

** Chapter 13. He Who Is**

Ezra woke to the shaking from a small earthquake. While the tremor certainly rattled the windowpanes something fierce, the building luckily held. From the kitchen, she could hear Franziska's dishes shattering as they clattered to the floor. She could stand relatively well as the shock went on, albeit she had to actively concentrate on keeping her balance, and since they didn't seem to be in any danger, she and Carys headed out to the common room. The other residents arrived soon after.

"We don't live near any fault lines; why is an earthquake occurring?" Frowned Ivysaur as the residents struggled to stay upright. The pokers for the fireplace clattered around the floor, almost as if they were possessed.

"Oh no." Whispered Cresselia, looking utterly distraught. They all turned to her.

"What's going on?" Marcus asked as he fell over. He quickly stood back up.

"The Original One's dying. This earthquake's epicenter is smack in the middle of the continent, where Celestial Spire dwells. The tower's starting to crumble, meaning that the Original One's life is failing. If the tower completely falls, the entire world will feel the shock. This continent will be turned into a wasteland if that happens, since we're the closest to the epicenter of the worldwide earthquake. We're just feeling the beginning of what might come. I'd give the Alpha Pokemon three days, tops. After that...well, we won't need to worry about what happens." Xerneas explained, uncharacteristically serious. He still had a slight limp, but overall he looked much better.

"He's right." Cresselia nodded, biting her lip. She, having Levitate, wasn't affected at all by the quake. "Which is why it's especially important that Team Banshee goes to the Spire tomorrow, while the rest of us tackle the island."

"Regarding that," Interrupted Victini, just as the tremors stopped. "I'm afraid I have bad news. Team Banshee have to come with us when we infiltrate the Dark's HQ."

"What? Why?" Demanded Cresselia, Ezra, and Carys at the same time. Small aftershocks began shaking the building, one after another.

"Since I'm the legendary of victory, naturally I hold some influence over fate. Some of this influence comes in the form of very weak Sight. My Sight takes the form of certainty over events. All last evening, I felt the strangest sense that we'll fail our mission tomorrow if we don't bring along Team Banshee. I don't know why, but for some reason they're our key to victory." Victini shrugged.

"But...that'll mean they ascend the Spire exactly on the day of their deadline…" Trailed Cresselia worriedly.

"We've all known that if our Champion fails, the Original One shall die. This is simply confirming what we already know." Stated Victini, getting a hard look on her face. Cresselia sighed just as the aftershocks faded, and the earth was still once more.

"You're right. I really wish it didn't have to be this way, but if you're so sure...Fine. Team Banshee, you should prepare for the invasion tomorrow. Bring lots of Reviver Seeds." She said grudgingly.

Ezra wasn't really sure what to make of this new development. On the plus side, she could ignore her ultimate fate for one more day, but on the other hand, she would probably come face-to-face with Giratina, who would surely annihilate-figuratively speaking, of course-her. She was rather caught between a rock and a hard place. Although...since she would eventually end up at Celestial Spire, that meant she would somehow end up victorious, right? And Victini just said the Light would lose if she and Carys weren't there. So that means they had this invasion in the bag!

Feeling pepped about tomorrow, she returned to the conversation at hand.

"We're all out." Carys was saying.

"We have a ton we hardly use. You can take some of ours." Offered Meloetta.

"What, Reviver Seeds? No, no, save them for the other Teams who might need them. We can just grab some from the markets, and get the rest in a dungeon." Ezra shook her head.

"You sure? Shouldn't you be resting up for tomorrow?" Frowned Pelipper.

"I'll go crazy if I just sit here and worry about tomorrow. Victini's prediction or not, this is still a major siege. Things can go wrong, Pokemon can die, et cetera. No, I'd rather focus on a dungeon that worrying about whether or not I'll see any of you again after tomorrow." Ezra said adamantly.

"Don't worry about us; we're not gonna let ourselves just up and keel over like that! We'll be fine. You go right on ahead and get yourselves some Reviver Seeds. As I recall, Plain Plains, Dire Dive, Grand Wetland, Ashen Fields, and Restless River spawn a high number of Reviver Seeds in them." Beamed Chrysi.

"Oh, don't go to Restless River. That's the home of Keldeo, a legendary. He's gone Dark." Cresselia advised, picking her head up. She had been lost in worried thought for some time.

"I only recognize Grand Wetland out of all that. I know it's full of water-types, but let's go there. We'll just one- or two-shot the foes anyway, since we've leveled up a _ton_ since then." Carys said to Ezra. The latter thought for a moment, then nodded. The devil you know, right?

"I'll make a large dream message for all of our allies. We'll be discussing our strategy for the invasion. I think if you two just head to any problem areas while we're fighting, we should be good. I don't want you two fighting _Him._" Cresselia said.

"Sounds good to me. We'll be back in a few hours." Ezra nodded, not at all disappointed that she wouldn't be fighting the leader of the Dark.

"Let's go to the markets first. We still have to make our Nether Globe." Suggested Carys as they turned to walk down to the first floor.

"Ooh, I'll come with you! I'll join you in a few minutes, Cressie." Xerneas piped up, raising his head at them. Cresselia sighed impatiently, but did not protest as the trio left for town.

Lily Town didn't seem to be terribly affected by the earthquake. While the signs had toppled over and the ground was torn up in some places, the damage wasn't at all staggering.

"Talk about movers and shakers, eh? Now, where's the place that sells peanut butter?" Xerneas remarked, looking all around town.

"Grocery store's right next to Jumpluff's Bank, over there on the left." Ezra pointed. "Why do you need peanut butter?"

"Ah, well, you see, when Cressie and I were busy fighting Team Renegade a few days ago, I realized in the middle of battling that I was all out. Being out of PB is pretty scary stuff, ya know? I told the Froslass lady, then she said she was going to drown Lillipups, and then she tried to hit on me. Pretty gal, but not at _all_ worth leaving the bachelor life." Xerneas explained casually.

"...I see." Was all Ezra said.

"So what's all in this town? It looks much better in the daylight. A bit earthquake-torn, but better." Xerneas asked, stopping in the middle of town square to gaze around as the townsfolk started to fix the damages.

"I'll go grab the Nether Globe stuff and prepare for the trip if you want to play tour guide." Carys offered wryly. Ezra sighed.

"Go for it." She replied, and Carys departed for Kecleon Markets.

"We have the Lofts, and Carys is heading to Kecleon Markets, where they sell dungeon items. Directly across is Kangaskhan storage, where we store items. To the left of that is Neal's Sweet Treats. He sells dessert items and candy. Hoopa works there as well. Next to the Lofts is Sora's Library. It also kinda doubles as our hospital." Ezra said, pointing out each building in turn.

"And finally, down to the south is Pancham's Dojo. You can train there, and I think he also offers a manicure service as well." She continued. Xerneas's eyes lit up.

"Manicures? I'm in heaven. Having someone else doll up my nails and antlers would be such a treat." He sighed blissfully.

"I'mma go make an appointment right now! Thanks, girl~" He trilled, beginning to prance over to the Dojo. Ezra frowned.

"Xerneas?" She asked. Xerneas stopped and turned to face her, head tilted in question. She had been wondering something for a couple days now.

"Why do you act like that?" She continued. Xerneas paused, then trotted back up to her.

"It's strategy, " He explained. "If I act like a fool, no one takes me seriously. And when people don't take me seriously, they lower their guard, and don't think I'm a threat. Or, they get angry, which is even better! When you're angry, you're more likely to leave yourself open for an attack. In a battle, that's a crucial advantage I have over an opponent. They think I'm a pushover, and after I mop the floor with them, they realize too late what I was doing. It's when I'm actually serious is when you need to start worrying. That means the situation is _really_ dire."

"Then why do you keep it up around allies, or against foes that know exactly what you're doing?"

"Because it's fun." He chuckled. "I like playing the fool. Besides, it still works! Haven't you seen Cressie glower at me, even though she knows what I'm up to? And take Team Renegade! I first battled them shortly after you first arrived in this world. They fell for my trick, and have continued to fall for it every time since! Do you _really_ believe I thought 'Mora was truly asking me out? I was trying to make her mad. _And it worked!_ ...Although, in the state of mind she's in, it's not _that_ much a victory." Xerneas said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Asked Ezra.

"Girl's gone completely off her rocker. You should talk to Cressie if you wanna know about 'Mora's insanity. Anyways, I gotta go. I have a manicure appointment to make, and peanut butter to obtain!" Grinned Xerneas as he bounded off.

Carys returned a few minutes later with their usual dungeon gear and the Nether Globe ingredients. They entered Neal's shop, where they fund him and Hoopa sweeping up pastries that had fallen from the display cases and onto the floor.

"Oh, hello Team Banshee. Some earthquake, huh? I'm just glad it wasn't serious." Greeted Neal, looking up.

"Yeah. Say, do you have a minute? We brought the things for the Nether Globe." Asked Ezra.

"Oh, yes! Of course! Hoopa, go grab the Swap Cauldron for me, will you?" Beamed Neal, dumping the pastries into the trash.

"On it." Said Hoopa as he widened his hoop so that it was roughly the size of a Swampert. He enlarged his arms, reached inside his hoop, and brought out a large yellow pot. Inside the pot was a strange purple liquid.

"Alright, just dump the Purple Silk and Shady Dust into the Cauldron." Invited Neal nodding at the pot. Unceremoniously, the duo did just that.

The items vanished into the liquid with a plop, and the substance shimmered, then grew dull again. Something dark purple rose to the surface. Neal fished it out and showed it to the two girls. It was a dark purple-colored gem that had swirls of lavender inside. In the right angle, the swirls almost looked like a creepy smile.

"That's a Shadow Gem. It'll speed you up during foggy weather. Now, put the remaining items into the Cauldron, along with this Shadow Gem." Instructed Neal as he dropped the Gem back into the pot. They did, and this time a bright flash came from the Swap Cauldron, blinding everyone in the room. When the glow died down, there was another dark purple thing floating at the surface.

Neal took it out, shook the liquid off of it, and set it on the counter for them to see. It looked almost like a purple snowglobe, really. The cylindrical base was a deep violet, and the orb on top was the same dark purple as the Shadow Gem. Inside the orb, swirls of lavender flowed throughout. Every so often, the swirls would create an evil-looking smile before dissipating again. Ezra could have sworn she heard the smile snicker menacingly. Neal tapped the snowglobe, and it began floating in midair, orbiting around him.

"Here you are, the Nether Globe. Just tap it when you want it to activate. It'll act as the tapper's held item, though. Tap it again when you want it to stop." Neal explained, touching the Nether Globe once more. Immediately, it dropped into Hoopa's outstretched hands. He gave it to Team Banshee.

"Thank you _so_ much, Neal. How much do we owe you?" Grinned Ezra. Neal shook his head.

"On the house. Don't worry about it. Now that I have my Cauldron back in business, though, I can start swapping again. I think I'll charge 150 Poke per swap." He said.

"Sounds good. Thanks again." Carys beamed as they left the store.

With their morning chores out of the way, they finally set out for Grand Wetland.

* * *

**Grand Wetland ( watch?v=6ugDNX_yX_M)**

**B1F**

While the dungeon itself was marshy, thankfully it still held less water than a normal swamp. The floor was made of grass that squished and squelched underneath Ezra's feet, and the walls were just thick bushes drenched in water. Pools of water could be seen along some of the edges, bubbling lazily in the early afternoon heat. The air was humid, but not uncomfortably so.

"Huh...we haven't been here in a long time." Ezra remarked, gazing around the room.

When they had first come here, it was to reach Lake Caution, which lay at the end of this dungeon. Lake Caution was a large boiling-hot lake that held a geyser in the center. In all actuality, however, only the geyser was real. The surface of the lake was just an illusion created by Mesprit, the Being of Emotion, to keep intruders away. Team Banshee had initially come here to warn Mesprit of a mysterious kidnapper (who later turned out to be Hoopa) who was after the Lake Trio. Of course, they and Mesprit had ended up battling Team Renegade, and Hoopa had managed to snatch Mesprit right from under their very noses. She was now living at his old home, Alluring Rift, safe from the prying eyes of Giratina, who wished to have the Trio either as allies, or prisoners.

"Oh, yeah. We haven't returned ever since Hoopa kidnapped Mesprit. Well, the dungeon still looks the same." Nodded Carys, also gazing around.

"Should we get started on our Reviver Seed-hunting quest?" Asked Ezra, gesturing towards the only hallway out of this room.

"After you."

**B2F**

They had encountered a Lombre and Marshtomp, respectively, in a hall. Ezra stayed inside the actual dungeon, as the Lombre wouldn't be difficult for her to defeat at all.

The Lombre dodged her Flame Burst and began spitting water into the air. The Water Sport fell down all around the area, dwindling the size of Ezra's flame. In retaliation for making her weaker, she opted to KO it instead with a critically-struck Hex.

The Marshtomp stepped up to fight, and since this foe was doubly super-effective against her, Ezra dove into the wall, letting Carys deal with it instead.

The Marshtomp opened with Water Gun, and Carys easily tanked the attack unflinchingly. In an almost bored manner, Carys defeated the Pokemon with Razor Leaf.

**B3F**

**Weather Condition: Cloudy**

Clouds had started to gather up in the sky, weakening all but normal-type moves. Ezra and Carys didn't really mind, though. Weakened or not, they could still _easily_ take on the foes in this place.

As they entered a chamber, they found a Tynamo and Barboach inside. Upon entering the room, the two foes immediately honed in on them and began to move quickly towards them.

Carys stepped up at aimed a Razor Leaf at the Barboach, but as the foe was yards away, it dodged the attack with no problem. It threw a Water Pulse at them in turn, and Carys moved in front of Ezra to take the blow.

The Tynamo reached them first, and instantly hit Ezra with Thunder Wave, paralyzing her to the core.

"Ugh!" She muttered, struggling in vain to move.

"I'm on it." Said Carys as she took out the Tynamo with Shadow Ball. She grunted as she was hit by another Water Pulse, and she whipped around to blast the Barboach with Razor Leaf. _That_ attack hit, and the Barboach went down.

A few seconds later, Ezra could move again.

**B4F**

This floor was only five rooms big with short hallways. They didn't find any Reviver Seeds here, so they moved on.

**B5F**

They spawned in with a Tynamo. It evaded their Ember-Leaf combo and hit them both with Charge Beam, raising its Special Attack.

Ezra threw a Night Shade at it, and it dodged yet again. Electricity began crackling around it, and the Tynamo dove at Ezra, who was too slow to dodge the Spark. She winced as the current coursed through her, but luckily she hadn't been overly hurt. When it finished the attack, it immediately fell to Carys' Shadow Ball.

**B6F**

"Hey, Carys, look! Two Reviver Seeds!" Ezra laughed as they entered a room. The two prized seeds were sitting side-by-side in the middle of the chamber.

"Nice." Grinned Carys.

**B7F**

They were doing pretty good. Seven floors in and they already had six Reviver Seeds. The next chamber they entered didn't have a Reviver Seed, but it did hold a One-Shot Orb.

A Lombre spawned in with them as soon as Ezra picked up the orb, which was decorated in glitter and rainbows. Grinning, she tossed it at the foe. When the orb broke, a shower of rainbow-colored glitter erupted from the sphere and completely covered the Lombre head to toe in the stuff.

When the glitter fell away, there was no Lombre to be seen anymore.

**B8F**

**Weather Condition: Cloudy**

It was cloudy again, but they didn't mind. B3F had told them that they wouldn't be terribly affected by the weather, which was nice. They needed to go to old dungeons more often. It was a very nice change of pace, being strong enough to one-shot all the foes in here.

Speaking of foes they could one-shot, there was a sleeping Barboach in the next chamber, along with a Reviver Seed. Ezra ignored the foe, going for the seed, but Carys had the brilliant idea to Razor Leaf it. The Barboach woke with a start, and promptly crumpled back down to the ground.

"That wasn't nice." Ezra frowned at her. Carys smiled and shrugged.

**B9F**

A Lombre was blocking the way in a corridor. It slapped Ezra just as she was about to begin charging up a Flame Burst. The Fake Out was sudden and unexpected, causing her to flinch in surprise. The foe quickly followed up with Fury Swipes. Ezra recovered from flinching and simply let the Lombre continue to Swipe Furiously at her. The attacks honestly felt more like taps than blows.

"You done?" She asked it sardonically as she blasted it in the face with Flame Burst. The Lombre took a step back, stunned by the hit. One Ember more and it was gone.

**B10F**

"Stares! No, wait..." Frowned Carys. They had spawned in with the Stairs.

"We can't go down them just yet; we have to explore the floor first!" Objected Ezra.

"I know, I know..." Sighed Carys. With one last wistful look at them, she followed Ezra into a hallway.

**B11F**

They had spawned in with a Marshtomp. It wasted no time in spitting a Mud Shot at Ezra, who became covered in slimy mud. Carys easily avenged her with Razor Leaf, and eventually Ezra got her Speed back.

**Central Grand Wetland**

The end of Grand Wetland was also the beginning of Lake Caution. Indeed, right in front of them lay the illusion-lake. The center began bubbling intensely, and a few moments later the geyser erupted. It shot hundreds of feet into the air, sending piping-hot water down into the real Lake Caution at the end of the dungeon a mile below.

The duo watched this unfold, reminiscing about their daring jump into the "lake". They had been very lucky that the surface was actually an illusion, otherwise they wouldn't be standing here right now. After the geyser died down, Ezra turned to face her friend.

"Okay...how many did we get?" She asked, putting her hands on her sides.

"Uh...eight!" Reported Carys.

"Not bad, not bad. Let's focus on seeds and Oran Berries tomorrow. We won't need anything else during the invasion." Ezra nodded in approval.

"Oh, let's bring Wonder Orbs as well. We won't technically be in a boss battle, so they'll work." Carys suggested.

"Sounds good. Shall we go back home?" Ezra smiled.

"Let's."

* * *

**Lily Town**

They returned home just as the sun was threatening to set. Before they entered the Lofts, they prepared their bag for the siege the following day. After visiting the Kecleon Market, Kangaskhan Storage, and Jumpluff Bank, their bag now consisted of: 78 Gravelrocks, two apples, four Oran Berries, three Blast Seeds, all eight Reviver Seeds, a Sleep Seed, a Stun Seed, three X-Eye Seeds, and a Foe-Seal Orb.

Ezra took off her Insomniscope and tapped the Nether Globe. The orb rose slowly, and began orbiting around the two girls. Carys had exchanged her Trap Scarf for a Pecha Scarf, since they wouldn't be visiting any dungeons but might get poisoned during the fight. With everything all set for tomorrow, they finally returned to their home, where the defenders awaited them.

"Ezzie! Carrie! Look, I got a maaaaanicuuuureee~" Said Xerneas in a sing-song voice, holding out his front hooves and antlers, which were all polished brightly.

"Heya! Get a good haul?" Beamed Milana.

"Yeah, eight Reviver Seeds. We're all set for tomorrow; all we have to do is eat dinner and go to bed. But first, what's the game plan? Have you decided?" Asked Ezra, looking at Cresselia and Xerneas.

"Yes. Operation Sunrise will commence tomorrow at dawn, where we will all rise and meet up with the rest of our army at Destiny Ridge. At about ten o'clock, we will march to the Dark's base. When we arrive, Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, and Reshiram—the Flight Team—will clear the skies for us. Kyogre, Phione, and Manaphy—Hydro Team—will attack from the rear, in the ocean. Xerneas, myself, and the Lake Trio shall lead the charge into the base. From there, Victini and Hoopa will lead Darkrai, Cobalion, the Hooded Brotherhood, the Bravo Specials, Franziska, Teams Valkyrie, Triple S, and Dauntless into the main area, right here. Your codename will be 'Gamma Squad'." Cresselia explained, pulling out a detailed map of the target's base. Ezra was confused as to how they knew this sensitive information, then she remembered that Cresselia had an operative in the fortress.

Cresselia pointed to a large room located in the northeastern corner of the first floor of the compound. There was a second floor, then there was a much smaller "box" on top of the main base. Atop the second "box" was a large spire.

"This is the refectory, and will probably be where most of the Dark shall be. Meanwhile, myself, the Lake Trio, Xerneas, Luna, Selene, and Zygarde—codename Team Alpha—will head into the second tier and take charge." Cresselia then pointed to the second "box".

"Mew, all of the Shaymin from Gratitude Valley, Team Dazzle, Team Hurricane, Alexis, the Unknown, and Ditto—codename Beta Team—will head into the spire, where the chambers of Team Renegade and Team Leviathan lay." Continued Cresselia, pointing to the spire.

"Wanda and her friends Diego and Gaia shall accompany Teams Inferno, Royal, Gorgon, Maelstrom, Dusk, Woodwind, and Swarm, along with Rotom, Elise, Greninja, Lickilicky, and Hayden in order to take control of the rest of the first tier. Their codename is Team Epsilon. My operative—who shall remain nameless until the end—will see to the freeing of the prisoners in the dungeons below the compound. The Flight Team and Hydro Team shall join the Alphas after they have taken down the Pokemon guarding from the outside." Said Cresselia, gesturing to the rest of the first "box".

"Team Siren, codename Delta Squad, shall head into Antithesis Cavern, which is located in the middle of the first tier, where they will start to make their way to _His_ lair. Once we have taken control of the base, all of the legendaries will follow Team Siren into the dungeon, where we shall begin the battle against _Him_. Team Banshee, I want you two to begin with the Gammas. Hoopa will keep an eye on the other teams and alert you to any areas that need additional support. Once we've taken control of the base, head _immediately _ to the beach. There you'll meet a Pokemon named Dragonite. He'll fly you straight to Luminous Spring, which is located in front of the invisible Celestial Spire. There's a Kangaskhan Rock there. Switch out your items, and bring the 18 Shards and Space Globe up to the top of the tower, and save the Original One's life." Cresselia concluded.

"Any questions?" Asked Xerneas.

"What if this all goes wrong, and we're forced to retreat?" Asked Will.

"If you feel like you need to flee, then go ahead. I cannot stop you. But _I_ am seeing this through, even if it means my death." Cresselia said adamantly, getting a determined look on her face.

"As am I." Added Xerneas.

"And I." Agreed Victini, standing up. The rest of the defenders agreed. No matter what, they wouldn't run away.

"...Alright, if there are no more questions, then I'll dismiss you all. Prepare your bags for the fight tomorrow, get some food, and definitely get a good night's rest. I will ensure that you all sleep soundly tonight." Cresselia nodded gravely.

"Have fun, and we'll see you bright and surly!" Beamed Xerneas.

* * *

**So it just occurred to me that we're only four more posts away from the end. Huh. Not sure how I feel about this. Anyway, next post should be up in a few weeks. I dunno about you guys, but I'm excited.**

**The next post shall feature: Operation Sunrise, the Dark HQ, and an accidental trip into Giratina's dungeon. Whoops. **


	73. Chapter 73

**GIANT POST AHEAD**

* * *

Ezra was woken at dawn by Cresselia. Silently, she and Carys slipped out from their beds, grabbed their gear, and quietly followed the legendary out into the commons room, where everyone was waiting. The other Pokemon looked solemn, knowing that for good or worse, this would be a day of change. Either the Light would turn the tide against the Dark, or they would all be obliterated. Either outcome was enough to cause them stress. And stressed they were, for this was going to be the second-biggest battle in centuries. Ezra and Formora's upcoming fight would be the ultimate battle, even though it would be a 3v2 fight, as opposed to two armies duking it out once and for all. The death of one Champion would somehow ensure that the other's side ultimately wins the war.

The team stealthily followed Cresselia into the town square, which was eerily silent in the chilly morning air. The other residents must be still asleep. While it was strange not to be seen off by the town, Ezra wasn't surprised. Cresselia had told everyone that they would most likely be gone before they woke up. The fighters had all said their goodbyes last night, in case they perished in the battle.

"Everyone ready?" She asked once they had all assembled. Numerous heads nodded solemnly.

"Is it too late for us to join?" Asked Macargo, his team coming to join them. Originally, Team Geo had declined to be a part of the battle, preferring to stay neutral. Now it seemed as if they had changed their minds.

Cresselia smiled. "Of course. You may join the Gamma Squad in conquering the cafeteria."

"Sounds good." Seadra nodded.

"If no one else has any questions, it's-a time for us to go!" Beamed Xerneas. With one last look at Lily Town, her home, Ezra followed the others as they shuffled out of town and towards Destiny Ridge.

* * *

"Antithesis Cavern is located in the middle of the compound," Cresselia was saying to Team Siren as they marched through the land. "It is 30 floors and has special rules, so listen carefully. Once you enter the dungeon, it will be sealed until you arrive at the waypoint, even if you get knocked out. You're forced to go on. Until you get there, no one else will be able to enter. There are _no _Gummis, apples, or Escape Orbs whatsoever in there. Now, once you enter the second half, the doors will open, and we'll be free to join you."

"Got it." Nodded Meloetta.

"Hey, Cresselia?" Asked Ezra, remembering something from the previous day. "Xerneas said you know about Formora's past?"

"Ah. Only a bit. It's...not a pleasant story. I've seen bits and pieces from her nightmares. Essentially, she was an unwanted child, so she ran away from home and lived on the streets. She grew to hate the city and all its people who were ignorant of the hidden suffering that went on under their noses. As a child, she was told over and over by her parents that she was worthless, insignificant. I think a part of her seeks to rise above her parents' predictions, and that's why she seeks so hard to stop us. This desire of hers...I believe it has consumed her. From what I've seen, she's become obsessed with _not failing_, to the point of insanity." Cresselia said sadly.

"Apparently she spent her sixteenth birthday in the hospital with severe hypothermia," Xerneas said jovially, coming over to them. "It was the dead of winter, and a married couple found her frozen body in an alley. She didn't have anywhere to escape the cold."

"That's so sad..." Frowned Carys.

"Indeed. I believe that, after all this is over, some serious reform needs to occur. Formora's story might have happened in another dimension, but this one has its fair share of homelessness and despair as well." Cresselia nodded.

Around ten AM, the group finally arrived at Victini's old home of Destiny Ridge. Numerous Pokemon were there, all waiting to fight the Dark.

"We have some time before we move out. Do what you will." Cresselia told the Lily Town group before going off to talk to a Rotom nearby.

"If you're ever unsure if someone's on your team, the secret password is 'Alamo'. Remember that." Beamed Xerneas. Cresselia facepalmed and glared at him, but Ezra didn't know why.

"Hey, you Team Banshee?" Someone asked. Ezra turned to find a Whimsicott, a Vivillon with red wings, and Pidgeotto standing next to her.

"Yeah. I'm Ezra, and this is Carys." She nodded. The Whimsicott nodded.

"Thought so. We're Team Hurricane. I'm Whimsicott, this is my girl Vivillon, and this is our friend Pidgeotto." He said, jerking his head at each member in turn.

"We're actually a group of thieves." Said Whimsicott with a crooked smile.

"But we don't want to join the Dark. We rather like the thrill of the chase against the police and exploration teams. If the Dark win, then we don't get to experience that no more." Pidgeotto said with a snort.

"It wouldn't be as much fun." Purred Vivillon.

"I...see. Well, it was nice meeting you." Ezra said as politely as she could before hurrying away from the group.

"Hey! Team Banshee! Remember us?" Called a familiar voice as the duo were wandering around. They turned to find a green Espeon and Umbreon with blue rings heading towards them.

"No way...Soledad and Roran?" Ezra grinned. Soledad and Roran were two siblings who each led a different tribe. Soledad lived on Mt. Sunlight, and Roran lived in Moonlit Meadow. When Team Banshee had first met Soledad, she and her brother had had a rift, but later forgave each other.

"Good to see you guys! How've you been?" Soledad beamed.

"Pretty good. What brings you here?" Asked Carys.

"Our friend Skorupi from Team Maelstrom convinced us to join the army." Explained Roran, nodding at a Shiny Skorupi ten meters away, who was talking to an Eelektross.

"Glad to have you with us." Grinned Ezra. A Kricketune called Soledad and Roran's names, and the siblings bade a hasty goodbye.

As Ezra looked around, she spotted the Unknown walking towards their lord, Darkrai.

"Do I _have_ to fight? Can't I just sing the friendship song?" War the Feraligatr was grumbling.

"_NO_." The other two members chorused angrily.

Soon after, Ezra felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see a Banette and Honchkrow.

"Hello, Team Banshee. We're Team Dusk. I'm Nyx, and this is Honchkrow." The Banette said. "There's a team we'd like you to meet. You should hear their story."

"Uh...sure." Said Ezra. Team Dusk led them to a Mareep and Breloom.

"Team Dazzle, this is Team Banshee." Introduced Honchkrow and he and Nyx walked off. Team Dazzle looked up at the two.

"You're our Champion? You're going to kill Formora?" Asked the Mareep.

"...Sure?" Responded Ezra. The Breloom sighed sadly.

"I hope you succeed. We don't like Team Renegade. ...There used to be three of us, you see, but...our third member, Buneary, was kidnapped. By Team Renegade. Because she was Shiny. That was three months ago, and we...we haven't seen her since..." He said, choking back tears.

Ezra opened her mouth to give her sympathies, but her words were lost over Cresselia's.

"We're leaving in five! Once we get to the coast, land-bound Pokemon will have to find either a water-type or flying-type!"

"Ah...we'd better go and grab our gear..." The Mareep sighed as she and the Breloom walked to the Kangaskhan Rock outside the dungeon.

* * *

When the army began its march, Ezra and Carys met the entirety of it. Aside from the Pokemon they already knew, there was Team Hurricane, Team Dusk, Team Dazzle, Team Inferno, composed of the all-male Charizard, Darmanitan, and Panpour. The trio were an exploration team who didn't want to be under the Dark's reign. There was Team Woodwind, composed of a Gothitelle named Saraneth and an Exploud named Mosrael. The duo hunted down outlaws. Then there was Team Royal, made up of members Simba the Pyroar and Aegislash. They were a treasure-hunting team. There was Team Maelstrom, composed of a Shiny Skorupi and Eelektross.

On the other side of the spectrum were the sinister Team Gorgon. The three Tangela sisters were an exploration team that used...unorthodox...methods in obtaining treasure. There was Medusa, the Shiny Stheno, and Euryale, who held a Sticky Bow. Then there was Team Swarm, who were a group of outlaws. Led by Larvesta, the other members of the group were a feisty Kriketune, a sour Durant, and a ferocious Scolipede.

Then there were Pokemon who didn't belong to a Team, like Ditto. Alexis was a Hariyama who was a _little_ too eager to start punching Dark Pokemon. Lickilicky's village had been ransacked by a Dark team, and he wanted justice. Rotom didn't approve of what the Dark was doing to make their lives better, and Elise the Galvantula had a nephew who had been kidnapped by the Dark. Then there was Hayden, a Blaziken who was the sheriff of a town up north. And finally, there was Greninja, a reticent woman who couldn't stand evil.

Once they arrived at the coast, Ezra met the Light legendaries. All they had on their side were Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos, Mew, Kyogre, Darkrai, Manaphy, Phione, all the Shaymin from Gratitude Valley, Reshiram, Cobalion, Zygarde, plus the Lake Trio, Hoopa, Meloetta, Victini, Cresselia, and Xerneas. Ezra flashed a grin at the Lake Trio, and received one in return.

"Find yourselves a transport! We're leaving in five!" Yelled Cresselia.

"Hello, Team Banshee. You and Team Siren can ride on me again." Said Ditto, walking up to them.

"Ditto! Heya!" Laughed Carys as Ezra called Team Siren over.

"So we return to the island. Are you prepared?" He asked solemnly.

"As we'll ever be." Sighed Ezra.

"Heh, fair enough. Listen, once we get going, we'll be operating under Invisify Orbs again. We'll reappear once we arrive at the island." Ditto reported, Transforming into a Salamence.

"Sounds good." Nodded Ezra.

Soon after, it was time to leave. The land-bound Pokemon all climbed aboard their various transport Pokemon, and all too quickly the team took off for the compound, which could be distantly seen from the shore. Once the fliers had reached a stable altitude, the army cloaked itself in Invisify Orbs. Stealthily, they flew uninhibited to the compound. All too soon, silhouettes of flying Pokemon could be seen, including the biggest Pokemon Ezra had ever seen, aside from Kyogre and Wailords.

"Is that...?" She could hear someone murmur nearby.

"Rayquaza." Another voice confirmed fearfully. An uneasy silence fell across the group. Ezra was just glad she wasn't going to be part of the aerial team.

"Get ready." They could hear Cresselia's voice. "And...NOW!"

As if on cue, the Invisify Orbs' effect went away, leaving them all visible once more. Almost immediately, the alarm from the sentries went up, and the flying Pokemon flew straight for them. The Pokemon on Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno, and Reshiram's backs all jumped down onto other flying types, leaving the four free to do their job.

A Swellow came barreling at Cresselia—and quickly dropped out of the sky, felled by Moltres' Flamethrower. A giant, narrow green Pokemon let out a screeching cry and swooped down at the group.

"Rayquaza! Come here and face me!" Bellowed Reshiram, soaring upward to take on the gargantuan legendary. Rayquaza seemed to take the challenge, for the two began to duke it out in the air.

The water-types down below dropped off their living cargo, and together Kyogre, Phione, and Manaphy attacked the Dark Pokemon that patrolled the waters. Every so often, Kyogre's Origin Pulse would break the surface of the ocean, sending about a dozen Dark Pokemon up high into the air with it.

"Down we go!" Yelled Ditto as he began to descend. Ezra held on tight as he dove down to the ground, spiraling and spiraling. When she was sure they were going to crash, he braked suddenly and landed none-too-gently on the ground about two-thirds up the mountain.

"Go go go!" Cresselia was roaring, gesturing for the main body to follow her and Xerneas. Together, the two blasted a Dragonite out of the sky with their Moonblast and Psycho Cut. Ezra and Carys followed them as they began to travel up the mountain.

Thankfully, there was a smooth path leading up to the compound. The Flight Team and Hydro Team were doing a great job in keeping the sentries busy, for few others came to bother them.

As they traveled up the path, coming closer and closer to the ominous fortress, Ezra could see white rocks down in the deep ditches lining the path.

"Don't look!" Said Cresselia, noticing. "Shallow graves." She added in a disgusted whisper.

Now that Cresselia said it, Ezra thought she could see a femur sticking out from the sun-bleached piles. Feeling sick, she turned away and focused on looking only forward.

Finally, they came to the great oak doors that led inside the compound. Twin Blisseys guarded the door, and they began to get into a fighting stance. Quick as a flash, the Lake Trio burst to the front of the lines, where they, along with Cresselia and Xerneas, struck the two guards and the door with all their might. The Blisseys were thrown down into the ditches, where they didn't get back up again. The doors had also been blasted away, leaving only a gaping hole.

"GO!" Screamed Xerneas, and together, the Light charged into the Dark base.

The base was painted a lavender color, and embellished with items of grandeur, such as chandeliers in lieu of simple light bulbs and elegant paintings. This was obviously to sell the illusion that joining the Dark would increase your wealth and happiness, but even so, Ezra was secretly impressed. The place looked _amazing_.

"Come on!" Victini said impatiently to her as she and Hoopa raced past her and down a long hall. Remembering why she was here, Ezra activated the Nether Globe, then she and Carys followed the two, the rest of the Gammas behind them.

Soon, an Absol blocked their way.

"Oh, come to rain on our parade some more?" He spat, bristling. "Haven't you hurt us enough, what with your 'trickle-down economics' and lack of caring for those who suffer!?"

In response, Darkrai flew over to him, created a black ball between his hands, and threw it at the Absol. When it hit him, the ball grew to devour him. When it dissipated, the Absol was sound asleep, though having a terrible nightmare due to being in the presence of Darkrai.

"Thanks for that." Victini said wryly as they continued.

More Dark Pokemon came to stop them after that. Carys had to throw a Stun Seed at a Hydreigon that was trying to break Chrysi's arms, then the Hooded Brotherhood made swift work in dispatching the large foe.

After that, they faced a Venomoth, Bonsly, two Skrelp, and a Blastoise. Ezra had gotten herself Hydro Cannoned by the latter, and had to quickly use an Oran Berry.

Finally, they reached the cafeteria from the southern side. When Hoopa opened the doors, many, many Pokemon greeted them. The cafeteria was _huge_, easily big enough to house Giratina himself. Rows upon rows of tables littered the floor, and on the far side of the room they could see both a stage and the doors presumably leading to the kitchen. A Crobat, Gothorita, Charmeleon, Gabite, and Azumarill were on the stage in front of various instruments. Hundreds of Pokemon were sitting in the audience.

A silent moment passed, then the room erupted in noise. After that, the battle was a blur to Ezra. Time seemed to pass slowly. Together, she, Carys, Victini, Hoopa, Cobalion, Darkrai, Team Geo, Team Valkyrie, the HB, the Bravo Specials, Team Dauntless, Team Triple S, and Franziska jumped into the fray, fighting as hard as they could to ensure that these Dark Pokemon did not get to see the world suffer.

Ezra didn't remember much of the fight. She recalled only bits and pieces, such as trading blows with the Crobat on the stage, throwing an X-Eye Seed at a Vanilluxe that was threatening to overwhelm Sylveon from Team Dauntless, and handing a wounded Carys an Oran Berry.

She could distinctly recall how glorious the legendaries with them were, however. Together, Hoopa and Victini were one-shotting foe after foe like nobody's business. The unstoppable duo were specifically targeting the strongest of all the Dark Pokemon, and were dodging to just the right places to land a knock-out blow. Darkrai was busy putting as many Pokemon as he could to sleep. This, combined with his Nightmare and Bad Dreams, ensured that almost all his victims never woke up after he put them to sleep. Cobalion was a blur as he struck everything that stood in his way. It seemed nothing could topple him. Wherever he went, foes crumpled before him.

After what seemed like an eternity, the fray began to die down. Victini and Hoopa had successfully managed to take down the strongest of all the foes, and now they were just playing clean-up to all the rest. Ezra and Carys weren't needed anymore, so they went off to join the Beta Team, who were tackling Team Leviathan and Team Renegade upstairs. Apparently that fight wasn't going as well.

One problem, though. Team Banshee didn't know where the stairs to the second floor—let alone the second tier—were.

"Uh...I think we go left?" Carys trailed as they came to a fork in the hall. Ezra shrugged.

As they walked down the left hall, a door opened, and two Floette came out. One held a white flower and was consoling the other, who held an orange flower. The orange-flower Floette was clearly emaciated, all of her bones visible and her flower almost dead. She stared down at the ground without seeing a thing. The white-flower Floette looked up at Team Banshee.

"Oh. The Light Champion." She said, surprised. "...We're not going to fight you. Just let us pass, please. We're quitting the Dark."

"Why?" Asked Ezra. The Floette's face grew angry.

"Formora." She spat. "She did this to my sister. Tricked her into thinking her body wasn't good enough. My sister began starving herself to the point of starvation, and it's all thanks to that—" She composed herself.

"Just...do me a favor, and kill Formora for me." The white-flower Floette sighed as she led her dead-eyed sister down the hall.

"Wait! Where are the Stairs?" Called Carys.

"Down the hall, to the right, third door on the left." The Floette called back.

"Why would Formora do such a thing to her own ally? Did you see that Floette?" Ezra asked Carys as they followed the white Floette's instructions.

"I dunno. But that's kinda worrying." Frowned Carys as they reached the appropriate door. Lo and behold, there were stairs.

As they reached the second floor, they noticed a Manectric and Serperior heading over to them. The Manectric began to prepare an attack, but the Serperior held it back with its tail.

The Serperior regarded them regally, not a trace of emotion in his eyes. The four stared down each other for a long, intense moment. Finally, the silence was broken.

"...You need to defeat Formora. She needs to die." The Serperior said tonelessly. The Manectric gaped at him in a mix of horror and surprise. The Serperior wordlessly slithered past Ezra and Carys and down the stairs. After a few moments, the nonplussed Manectric followed.

"That was weird." Observed Ezra.

Growing uneasy, the duo then set off for the stairs to the tower. But they were interrupted by Hoopa. As they were blindly searching the halls for the stairs to the next floor, Hoopa's golden hoop appeared in front of them. It grew, then his face was visible.

"Ezra! Carys! We have a problem!" He wailed. Sounds of fighting were going on in the background. The scenery was different, so he must have warped to another location.

"What's wrong?" Asked Ezra.

"You're needed ASAP at the dungeons. It's towards the middle of the first floor. They're...they're executing the prisoners! Ho-oh and Lugia are among them, and they're on our side! Cresselia's operative needs you. Find her and help her! Her name is K—gyahhhh!" Hoops yelled as a Dark Pulse barreled into him, cutting off his sentence. His hoop disappeared a second later.

"Hoopa?" Called Ezra, but he didn't return.

With this new information, the duo immediately headed back down to the first floor. When they arrived, they blindly headed to where they thought was the middle of the compound. After many wrong turns, they finally arrived at a hall that led into the actual mountain. Down a dark hall lit by Litwick-shaped candles, they eventually came to a set of large ornate silver doors.

"This must be it. Come on, we've got to hurry!" Ezra said impatiently as together they pushed open the doors. Then they entered.

* * *

The gargantuan doors closed behind them with a great booming _thud _as soon as they had stepped into the dungeon.

"Uh…" Trailed Ezra. She tried to push the door open, but it wouldn't budge.

"Is that normal?" She asked warily, a bad idea coming to her.

"I don't think so. Try a move." Frowned Carys.

Ezra unleashed a Flame Burst onto the massive doors, but the attack didn't even leave a scorch mark.

"...I think this is a dungeon, but not the one we're looking for." Ezra said uncertainly, a creeping feeling crawling down her spine. She turned, and studied the room they were in.

They were in a small room that led further downwards up ahead. The floor was made of reddish-orange dirt, and navy blue walls surrounded them. The air felt stale, and the only light came from Ezra's flame and Carys' torso. It looked quite like a mystery dungeon, but this couldn't be Giratina's...right?

"I really, _really_ hope you're wrong. It looks like the only way out is forward...should we see what's up ahead?" Carys asked nervously. Ezra sighed.

"Against my better judgment, sure." She said, biting her lip.

A sinking feeling growing in the pits of their stomachs, the duo followed the path that led further deeper into the earth.

**Antithesis Cavern (**** watch?v=k0TPNbMWzr8)**

**B1F**

Much to their complete horror, their fears were confirmed. The floor and walls were exactly the same as before, and the only light came from the two girls. They were in a large square room that had narrow corridors branching off from the eastern and northern sides of the room.

They had unwittingly stumbled into Antithesis Cavern, the home of Giratina.

They had no time to panic, because seconds after they had spawned, they were both hit by the Sludge Bomb of a Garbodor. Turning, they saw the putrid Pokemon scowling menacingly at them from a few feet away. Automatically, they shifted into combat mode.

Ezra opened up with a Night Shade, and the foul Pokemon was too sluggish to get out of the way in time. It recoiled from the blast, gurgling angrily. Carys added her Confuse Ray to the mix, and after that all it took was a Hex and Shadow Ball to take down the odorous thing.

With that over, they were now free to panic.

"What are we gonna do?!" Wailed Carys, sinking close to the floor. "We're in _His_ dungeon, where we're not supposed to be!"

"Don't panic! Uh...let's see...we'll just go to the waypoint, where we'll be safe. _He_ can't get to us if we're at the waypoint. Yeah. After that, we'll just exit the dungeon, because the doors will have opened by then! Oh! Or, we'll just find ourselves an Escape Orb!" Ezra brainstormed aloud while the Nether Globe happily orbited around them.

"An Escape Orb. Yes. That's what we'll do. We'll just find one of those puppies, and we'll be all safe! No, we won't go any farther than the waypoint. Good thinking, Ez. Yes, let's do that." Carys said, nodding quickly in rapid succession, although they both knew, deep down, that there were no Escape Orbs in this dungeon. But they didn't dare say that out loud, as if that would make it true. If they didn't acknowledge their problem, it wouldn't exist. It was flawed thinking, but neither Carys nor Ezra wanted to do with any part of this Arceusforsaken hellhole. The sooner they escaped, the better.

Glancing over their shoulders every few steps, as if Giratina himself would be behind them, they began a cautious trek through the floor.

**B2F**

They had spawned with a Scolipede and Slurpuff. Side-by-side, the duo tackled the two foes. Ezra began with Flame Burst, but the Scolipede, whom she was fighting, scuttled out of the way and began to run around in circles, raising its Agility. It spat purple goo at her, and she barely managed to duck in time for the Toxic to fly over her and onto the ground behind her, where it sizzled ominously, giving off toxic fumes. Fortunately, the Toxic dissipated after a second, and Ezra stood back up just in time to be hit in the face by the Slurpuff's Energy Ball. The teal orb thankfully didn't do a whole lot of damage to her, but it was enough to make her see stars for a few moments.

When her head cleared, she witnessed Carys nail it with Confuse Ray. Turning back to the Scolipede, Ezra managed to blast it with Flame Burst, and the volley of fire spread to damage the Slurpuff as well. Chittering angrily, the Scolipede rolled itself into a ball, and began Steamrolling into Ezra. The foe was too quick, and Ezra was brutally flattened to the ground like a pancake.

Moaning and hating this dungeon even more, she picked herself up, and hit the Scolipede with Ember just as it began to unfurl itself. The attack singed its front right leg, and the giant Pokemon screeched as it became burned. It raised its burned leg off the ground in order to reduce the weight on the injured limb. Taking advantage, Ezra finished it off with Flame Burst, and she turned to face the Slurpuff.

The fairy-type had recovered from its confusion, and had just hit Carys with Draining Kiss. It wasn't paying attention to Ezra, and the Shiny Litwick surprised it with Hex. It whipped around—and promptly fell to Carys' Shadow Ball.

Wordlessly, the duo pressed on, wanting to get out of this place as soon as possible.

**B3F**

They had found the first Wonder Orb they'd come across in this dungeon, but alas, it wasn't an Escape Orb. Rather, it was a Petrify Orb.

"Ah...Maybe we should hang onto it. Y'know, in case we run into a Monster House." Ezra sighed as she examined the sphere.

"Yeah...I'd hate to run into those in here." Carys nodded somberly.

Ezra tucked the orb away, and despondently, they continued.

**B4F**

"Oh. Hey. Stairs." Carys said, frowning. They had spawned with the Stairs.

While it was nice to have a floor that wouldn't entail battling, it also meant they were one floor closer to Giratina. They were forced to go on, as even if they attempted to stay on this floor, The Wind would eventually make them move forward anyway.

**B5F**

According to Carys, this Raticate Ezra was fighting in a hall was holding something called an Encourage Seed. There! One last Flame Burst, and it was down, dropping a bumpy orange seed.

"What does this do? We've never come across anything like this." Ezra frowned, picking it up.

"Your moves always hit, and you're much more likely to land critical hits. As such, they're pretty rare." Informed Carys. Ezra thought for a moment, then put it in their bag.

"I think I'll save this for Formora." She said softly.

**B6F**

There was a Gengar and Scizor, respectively, blocking their way down a long dark hall. Ezra ducked into the wall so she could take care of the Scizor, whom she was doubly effective against. The Gengar went to follow her, but Carys caught its attention with Shadow Ball. The foe went to do the same, but the Nether Globe began generating a transparent purple dome around Ezra and Carys, shielding them both from the Shadow Ball. After the attack ended, the Globe went back to nonchalantly orbiting around Team Banshee, phasing through the walls like it was no big deal.

Turning back to the Scizor, Ezra had an easy time hitting it with a Flame Burst that hit the Gengar as well. The Scizor jumped and wildly looked around until it spotted Ezra. It glared fiercely at her, but was unable to hit her. All it could do was dodge her attacks and use Iron Defense, which was useless, as Ezra only used special attacks.

She aimed a quick Ember at the ground, causing the Scizor to launch itself high into the air. Silently thanking the laws of gravity, she made as if to aim where it was, then instead threw a Flame Burst at the area where it _would_ be.

Her timing was astute, and the Scizor fell right into the attack. It crashed onto the ground, and didn't get back up.

She turned to the Gengar, who was busy pummeling Carys with Dark Pulse. Frowning, Ezra sent out the red waves of energy that was Night Shade onto the foe. Carys must have gotten a couple more hits in, because it fainted.

"Thanks…" Winced Carys as Ezra returned to the dungeon proper.

"You know, we can always let ourselves be defeated. That way, we'll get kicked out and we can resume the battle." Ezra suggested.

"No! We need all of our Reviver Seeds, and getting KO'd would make us lose a lot of our items. And you heard Cresselia, getting kicked out just brings us back to the entrance, which is sealed by doors that don't open unless there's no one in the first part of the dungeon. No matter what, we're trapped. Let's just...get to the waypoint so we can wait for Cresselia and the others there." Carys protested. Ezra sighed.

"I had a feeling you'd say that. Alright. I think we're almost halfway to the waypoint. This dungeon's 30 floors, right? So the waypoint will be after B15F, and we're on B6F." Ezra calculated.

"Let's just get out of here before something bad happens." Sighed Carys.

**B7F**

They entered a chamber, and found an Abomasnow three yards away.

**Weather Condition: Hail**

It had not yet noticed them, so Ezra startled it with Flame Burst. It whipped around, where it promptly blasted her in the face with Blizzard. Ezra endured the torrent of ice wordlessly.

"Look, man, we're not supposed to be here. Give us a break." She sighed. She received another Blizzard in response.

"Fine. Be that way." She frowned as together, she and Carys took out the grass/ice-type with a combination of Flame Burst and Shadow Ball.

They ran through the rest of dungeon, eager to get out of the stinging hail.

**B8F**

"More Stairs…" Ezra said faintly.

**B9F**

If there was any consolation to their being in Giratina's dungeon, it was that they found a Reviver Seed amidst their wanderings. Soon after that, they came across a Munch Belt.

"This thing boosts your attack and special attack, but empties your belly like nobody's business." Explained Carys as they inspected the blue-and-cream bow that had a Munchlax decorated on it.

They decided to ignore it, as they would soon need all the edibles they could find in this foodless place.

**B10F**

Team Banshee was walking down a hall. The visibility in this dungeon was very poor, and most of the light came from Ezra's flame and Carys' glowing torso. Even so, they could hardly see beyond a few meters. When they came across a Goodra wandering blindly down the corridor, Ezra didn't know who was more surprised, them or the Goodra.

Carys recovered first.

"Watch out, it might know Muddy Water!" She warned, ducking into the wall next to Ezra in order to use Trick-or-Treat on the foe.

The Goodra seemed to remember this itself, as it shook its head and summoned brown water all around it.

"Nope nope nope NOPE!" Shouted Ezra, diving into the wall a split-second before the spot she was standing on was drenched in Muddy Water.

Carys attacked it with Shadow Ball as it landed, and the Goodra was hurled into the wall Ezra was in. The latter blasted the dragon-type with Hex, then quickly followed up with another Hex. The Goodra stood no chance.

**B11F**

They had spawned in with the Stairs.

"Almost there." Said Ezra.

**B12F**

They had the misfortune to spawn with a Typhlosion and Grumpig. The duo spread out to opposite sides of the room, since neither of them wanted to fight a fire-type so close to Carys. So, Ezra fought the Typhlosion while Carys battled with the Grumpig.

The Typhlosion was doomed from the start. It could either use fire-types, which would only power-up Ezra, or use its one non-fire-type move, Swift, which would hardly do a thing to her. In the end, it chose to run for Carys, hoping that it could at least get one hit in before it inevitably fainted. It didn't get that far before it fell to a quick succession of Hex followed by a critically-struck Night Shade.

With that one out of the way, both of them could focus on the Grumpig, which had just been taken Trick-or-Treating with Carys. It managed to dodge Ezra's Hex, and blasted the Shiny Litwick with Psyshock. Ezra scowled as she was hit. Stoically ignoring the pain, she and Carys launched a Night-Ball combo that brutally took out the paunchy foe.

**B13F**

Ezra was starting to get hungry. By the look on Carys' face, so was she. Problem was, they only had two apples, and Antithesis Cavern spawned no apples or Gummis. They were only three floors away from the waypoint, where all their energy and hunger would be magically replenished, but Ezra wasn't sure if they could make it that far.

She discussed this with Carys, and they agreed they would hold off eating their apples for as long as possible. Right after this, Ezra triggered a Warp Trap yet again.

She traversed the entire floor looking for either Carys or the Stairs, but found neither. And she continued to grow hungrier and hungrier, until she was actually seeing spots on the edges of her vision. She eventually found Carys in the room with the Stairs, and honestly couldn't stop herself as she tore into their bag and greedily devoured an apple. She was _starving_.

"...Sorry." She said after a moment, realizing that she had used up one of their two apples.

"Don't be. I cracked as well, just a few moments ago." Carys said unhappily. Ezra felt her spirits sink lower than they were already. They had no apples. Wait...why was this a problem again?

"Hey, aren't we just going to the waypoint? Why are we treating this like we're actually *gulp* going to the end of the dungeon?" She asked. Carys blinked, then her eyes widened.

"I am so stupid. We had no reason to conserve our food, because we're not exploring the entire dungeon! Oh Arceus, I feel much better." Carys said.

"So do I." Nodded Ezra. "And once we get to the waypoint, the doors will open, and we can get help Cresselia's operative!"

Feeling _loads_ more better about their situation, they descended.

**B14F**

A Raticate had spawned in with them, along with the Stairs. Luckily, they were closer to the Stairs than the foe.

**B15F**

On this last floor before the waypoint, the duo encountered a Staraptor while they were walking down a hall. This time, Ezra stayed in the actual dungeon while Carys ducked into the walls. Ezra attempted to hit it with Flame Burst, but the speedy foe flew out of the way, and retaliated with Take Down. It brutally slammed into Ezra, who was dashed into the ground. At least the Staraptor had taken some recoil damage.

Carys sent out the two twirling lights that made up Confuse Ray, and the foe became confused. It dazedly spun in all directions, trying to make heads or tails of what it was seeing. It attempted to use Aerial Ace, but was facing the wrong way, rendering the attack useless. Two Flame-Leaf combos later, and they were golden.

—**Waypoint—**

The room they found themselves in was different from the first half of the dungeon. Beyond a set of doors similar to the ones at the entrance led them to a floor made of gray gravel, with silver walls that almost looked to be made of platinum. Iridescent green orbs floated all around the roof of the room. The air felt strange and artificial, as if they weren't in this realm anymore, but instead in some alien dimension. And there in the middle lay the Kangaskhan statue.

They had made it. They had finally made it to the waypoint of Antithesis Cavern, home of Giratina. They could finally turn around and resume the war above. But they were not alone, however.

There, sprawled in front of the Kangaskhan statue, was an unconscious Team Siren.

Ezra let out a cry, and she and Carys raced over to the trio. Team Siren looked utterly battered, with bruises covering their entire bodies. They stirred a little bit when Ezra shook them.

"What happened to you?!" Ezra demanded.

"He just….shook off our attacks like they were nothing…." Whispered Meloetta, not opening her eyes.

"Never seen such strength…" Mused Dyrim, groaning in pain.

"We haven't been defeated...in ages." Added Ranna.

Ezra felt a chill run down her spine. Team Siren, the most powerful Pokemon she knew, defeated so easily by Giratina? Did anyone stand a chance against the wayward legendary…?

"Come on, we're getting you three out of here." She said, tugging at Meloetta's arm. Meloetta did not get up.

"No...no...Have a job to do…" She murmured.

"But you're hurt!" Carys exclaimed.

"Just a short nap...then we'll fight _Him_ again….this time with the others." Sighed Ranna.

"That's crazy." Ezra stated flatly.

"Can't just...give up…" Dyrim said. Ezra sighed.

"Well, we're not going any farther, but I guess we should stay with you three until the others get here." She said. While she didn't want to stay any longer in this place, she also didn't want to leave the vulnerable Team Siren alone.

"That's fine…" Whispered Meloetta.

Carys touched the Kangaskhan statue, and she joined Ezra in sitting near the fallen Sirens.

"What are those green orbs?" Carys asked, looking up at one in front of the last half of the dungeon.

"Antimatter. Don't touch. Very dangerous." Responded Ranna, who was starting to open her eyes.

"Really? I wanna see." Ezra said, getting up to take a closer look at the orb Carys was staring at. Carys joined her.

"Wait, don't go—" Dyrim started to say, but by then it was too late.

As Ezra and Carys approached the spot underneath the antimatter orb, they began to float up in the air against their will.

"Hey! HEY!" Ezra yelled, completely startled. She tried in vain to come back down to the ground, or at least get out of the area, but she was trapped. The only way she was traveling was up, straight toward the green antimatter sphere.

"Gravity gets strange from here on out! Try to get out of there!" Yelled Meloetta, who was beginning to sit up.

"We're trying!" Carys said back. But their efforts were in vain. The force of gravity was too strong. Finally, they came in contact with the antimatter orb.

The second they touched it, the orb shattered, creating a deafening explosion that flooded Ezra's senses with nothing but pain for a few seconds and sent them hurtling straight into the second half of Antithesis Cavern.

**Deep Antithesis Cavern (**** watch?v=C34zX7FY3bw)**

**B1F**

All Ezra could sense was pain. All she could hear was the sound of her internal screaming. All she could see was black. All she could taste was the salty tang of blood (she must have bitten her tongue when she had landed). Wherever she touched, pain washed over her. All she could smell was dirt and artificial air. All she could do was lie there and wait for the agony to pass.

It felt like an eternity, but finally she could get a hold of herself as the pain ebbed away. She opened her eye and found that she was lying face-down in gray dirt. Groaning, she and Carys managed to pick themselves up, and screamed when they saw where they were.

Gray gravel floors, platinum walls, and tiny green orbs of antimatter attached to the walls.

This must be the second half of the dungeon.

"No. No. No. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Carys screamed at the top of her lungs, her entire body quaking.

"We're not supposed to _be_ here!" She hissed.

"I know…" Ezra said miserably.

"We need to get The Wind to knock us out, ASAP!" Carys continued.

"I…" Ezra hesitated. An uncomfortable idea just came to her. "I think we're meant to face Giratina." Carys just stared at her.

"Are you _crazy?!_" The Pumpkaboo demanded.

"Just...hear me out. You know how Victini was saying we needed to be a part of Operation Sunrise, and how something we do will change the outcome of this whole thing? I think...I think we're supposed to fight Giratina alongside the legendaries. If he's strong enough to defeat Team Siren—_Team__ Siren,_ Carys—then the others are going to need all the help they can get. I have a feeling this is the right path." Ezra explained. Carys paused.

"But...what if we're _not _supposed to fight Giratina? What if this isn't the right path?"

"Think about it: we accidentally found Antithesis Cavern when we were searching for the other dungeon in the center of the compound. We just so happen to get caught by gravity underneath some antimatter, which _just so happens_ to send us into this next half. I'm really starting to think this isn't a coincidence." Argued Ezra. Carys still hesitated.

"Look. Giratina didn't capture Team Siren when he defeated them, right? So he probably won't do the same to us. If we lose, then we'll exit the dungeon, okay?" Ezra persuaded. She could see Carys struggle internally, then the Pumpkaboo sighed.

"Fine. Lead the way." She said despondently.

**B2F**

There was a Garbodor and Scolipede in their spawn chamber. Carys took careful aim at the Scolipede, which was on the other side of the room, and successfully hit it with Shadow Ball. The Scolipede, which had been facing the other way, jumped, and turned around to face the two.

The Garbodor, who was more closer, lumbered over to them and spat out a Sludge Bomb at Ezra, who ducked out of the way. She and Carys hit it with Flame Burst, then Shadow Ball. The putrid Pokemon then spat out Clear Smog that blinded the two and sent them into a coughing fit. Taking advantage, the Garbodor hit Ezra with Toxic, and this time she could not avoid the poisonous fumes. She collapsed, weakened from both the aftereffects of Clear Smog and now the Toxic.

"Ezra!" She could hear Carys exclaim, and dimly she could make out her friend defeating the Garbodor with Shadow Ball, then turn around and nail the Scolipede with another Shadow Ball.

Weakly, Ezra threw her own Flame Burst at the Scolipede, and lay back down, closing her eye.

Time passed, then she felt something being pressed against her mouth. Without thinking, she bit it, and her eye opened in surprise as she found it was a Pecha Berry.

"Oh, thank goodness this was in the next chamber." Carys breathed a sigh of relief as Ezra finished the rest of the berry, feeling the poison go away.

"Thank you for that." She said hoarsely, eating an Oran Berry. She didn't realize how close she had come to fainting.

When she was right as rain again, they set forth.

**B3F**

"Stairs…" Carys said hollowly.

**B4F**

This floor hadn't been too bad. There was a Slurpuff in their spawn chamber, but that hadn't taken too much energy to defeat. They were currently walking down a dimly-lit hall when they entered a chamber from the west side and—

**Monster House!**

Two Raticates, a Goodra, a Staraptor, two Linoone, three Grumpigs, two Typhlosions, an Abomasnow, and a Gengar all dropped down from the sky, and quickly turned to face the terrified girls.

**Weather Condition: Hail**

"NOPE." They chorused as Carys broke the Petrify Orb they had been safekeeping. Instantly, all of the foes became petrified, allowing for the duo to safely wall-travel through the room and through the southern exit without disruption.

A few seconds later, the foes began to recover, but by that time Team Banshee had sprinted far away from that room, dodging hailstones while they ran.

**B5F**

As they were beginning to exit a chamber, Carys was surprised from a Dragon Pulse from behind, sending her sprawling into Ezra. After picking themselves up, they looked to see a Goodra standing behind them. It dodged Carys' Razor Leaf and hit her with Body Slam, diving high into the air and falling straight on top of Carys.

"Ezra! Carys! Where are you?" Came Hoopa's voice from nowhere. His hoop appeared in between them and the foe, and soon after Hoopa's face appeared.

"One sec! In a battle!" Ezra shouted, launching a Flame Burst at the foe, who dodged. Hoopa turned, and blasted the Goodra with his Shadow Ball, KOing it instantly.

"Where are you two? This isn't the dungeon." He said, turning back to them.

"We found a dungeon, but it wasn't the right one…" Sighed Carys. Hoopa's eyes widened.

"You mean you're…?" He trailed. Ezra and Carys nodded silently. He grimaced.

"Can you two get out?" He asked.

"We tried, but we ended up getting sent into the last half of the dungeon...Like it or not, I think fate is telling us we need to join the main event." Ezra winced.

"Oh no no no no no. Oh Arceus. ...Listen, we're almost done here. Just...stall Giratina as long as you can, and we'll be there in a bit. Be careful, okay?" Hoopa pleaded.

"We will." Ezra nodded gravely. Hoopa looked behind him.

"I gotta go, but we'll help you as soon as possible." He said as he disappeared.

"Hurry." Ezra pleaded in an almost-inaudible breath.

**B6F**

"How will we find food? We ate all our apples." Ezra was saying as they wandered down a hall.

The terrain had changed. Some of the floor had fallen away around the edges, giving way to...nothing. Ezra had peered down such a hole and found that the entire dungeon was now floating inside a black void. This made sense, for the air was definitely artificial, and she had not shaken the feeling that they weren't in their own dimension anymore.

"I guess we just conserve our energy as best we can." Frowned Carys. Ezra had no time to respond, for she had spotted a Grumpig a few yards away. She ducked into the hall so Carys could use Shadow Ball.

The move was successful, and the foe responded with Payback, brutally slamming Carys with dark energy. Carys cried out, and Ezra took the opportunity to punish the Grumpig with Hex. As it turned to find the source of the attack, she quickly KO'd it with Night Shade. She returned to the dungeon proper, and they set off once more.

A few seconds later, however, they ran into a Slurpuff. It threw a Cotton Guard all around itself, sharply raising its defense. Ezra wasn't impressed. She smacked it right in the face with Night Shade as Carys dove into the wall and followed up with Razor Leaf. The Slurpuff recoiled, then dashed at Ezra. Before she could move, it Kissed her, Draining her energy. Feeling woozy, she fell to the ground for a second.

Carys retaliated with Shadow Ball, and luckily this was enough to defeat the pink puff.

After a moment, Ezra stood back up, and they continued down the hall.

**B7F**

"Easy floor." Ezra said dully, raising her head to look at the Stairs, which had spawned with them.

**B8F**

They somehow managed to find not one, not two, but _three_ Gengars in a chamber. Ezra and Carys blasted one with Shadow Ball and Hex, and it immediately returned the gesture with Dark Pulse. It held its hands about six inches apart from each other, and black crisscrossing rings formed inside. The Gengar then threw this beam of black interlacing rings at Ezra, who was thrown back until she collided with a wall. The noise from this exchange alerted the other two to the duo.

Carys managed to defeat the first foe with one more Shadow Ball, leaving the other two. Ezra got up with a groan and joined her best friend.

The second Gengar came barreling into Carys with a regular attack, which fortunately didn't do too much to her. She sent it sprawling backwards with Shadow Ball, and Ezra wasted no time in adding her own Night Shade to the mix. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a Shadow Ball heading straight at her head. Instantly she blocked her head with her hands, bracing herself for the blow, but the blow didn't come. She opened her eye just in time to watch the purple dome generated by the Nether Globe dissipate.

Oh. She had forgotten they were now immune to ghost-type moves...

No matter. Pretending that never happened, she hit the third Gengar with Hex, sending it away from Carys. It and the second Gengar had been starting to gang up on her. While she had sent away the third one, the second had no trouble using Payback on Carys. The Pumpkaboo was sent flying.

"Carys!" Ezra yelled, immediately knocking out the second Gengar with a critically-struck Hex.

Now all that was left was the third. The latter barreled into her with a regular attack, making her stumble but otherwise leaving her unscathed. It tried to use Shadow Ball on her once more, but the Nether Globe swiftly put up an impenetrable dome around her. The second it fell, she blasted the Gengar with Night Shade, defeating it.

With that over, she went to see how Carys was doing. The Pumpkaboo was shaken, but refused an Oran Berry, preferring to walk it out.

**B9F**

"Oh. Stairs. Yay." Ezra gulped upon spawning.

**B10F**

A Scizor had spawned in with them. It began the fight by nailing Carys with X-Scissor, causing her to be tossed back a few meters. Ezra retaliated with Flame Burst, catching its attention.

Seeing her, its claws began to glow purple, and it sprung directly at her. She was unable to get out of the way, and so she was helpless against the brutal Night Slash that raked her entire front half. She fell to the ground, immobilized by pain. The Scizor prepared to do the same thing on her again, but was caught by Carys' Confuse Ray as it prepared to swipe at Ezra.

Not wanting to give it a second go at her, she and Carys wasted no time in defeating it. All it took was two Flame Bursts and a Razor Leaf.

**B11F**

By now, all of the walls had fallen away, leaving only the floor and an endless sea of black void. No matter which way they looked, nothing but darkness could be seen. Carys could float out into the void easily, but she reported that after a few meters, she would hit an invisible, impenetrable wall. Even if they had someplace to go, they were trapped.

Ezra was almost beginning to sympathize with Giratina. If his lair was anything like this place, then it made sense he would start to go crazy with rage after years of bleak solitude.

The light was better, but only slightly. While the duo still benefited from their natural light sources, they could now see most of their surroundings. A good thing about there no longer being walls was the fact they could now see most of the entire dungeon laid out for them. They were in a hall, and from here they could see the Stairs a couple of chambers away. A Staraptor was heading straight for them. They were unable to avoid it, so a battle commenced.

Carys floated into the void, standing a few yards away from the foe. Since there were no more walls, she was now vulnerable to attacks. So, she helped from the sidelines, ducking in for a quick regular attack here, or a finishing blow there.

Ezra started the fight with Flame Burst, sending the volley of fire down upon her foe. In response, the Staraptor dove at her, and beat her furiously with its wings in an Aerial Ace. As she was falling backwards, Carys stepped in for a brief Confuse Ray, sending the twin lights at the foe. It flew out of the way, and then hit Carys with another Aerial Ace.

"Stop it!" Yelled Ezra, catching its attention with Ember. The Staraptor turned, then began flying in rapid circles, increasing its Agility. Then, before she could move, it slammed itself into her, Taking her Down.

"Behind you!" Called Carys. Ezra turned around and saw a Slurpuff heading their way.

"Can you take care of that one? I got this." She called back, not looking to see what Carys did.

As she was moving to face the Staraptor again, she felt a series of quick-but-powerful jabs—Close Combat?— knock her straight into the Slurpuff behind her. The pink Pokemon then bent down to gently Draining Kiss her before knocking her out with Energy Ball.

As the white beam dissipated, leaving her back at full strength, she KO'd the Staraptor in one angry Flame Burst, then whipped around to punish the Slurpuff for what it had done. It blanched, sensing it made a grave mistake. Ohhh, what a mistake it made.

The furious Ezra defeated it in only one, mega-powerful, fueled-by-rage Hex. She had _not _wanted to be here. At all. Nope, not one bit. And yet here she was. And _here_ were two idiotic Pokemon who thought it would be fun to further ruin her day and make her waste a precious Reviver Seed that, oh, she didn't know, _she needed to defeat the freaking Lord of Darkness_.

"Let's go." She muttered curtly, stalking towards the Stairs.

**B12F**

Carys was getting hungry. Ezra was fine, since she had fainted on the previous floor. But Carys was beginning to weaken.

"Uh...Let's see, there are berries and seeds in here. Whenever we come across one, just eat it. Look, I can see a Cheri Berry in the next chamber." Ezra pointed.

"Sounds good." Carys winced.

And so, the duo looked all throughout the floor, searching for edibles. Aside from the Cheri Berry, they found a Blinker Seed, Oran Berry, Sleep Seed, and Chesto Berry, along with the Plain Seed in their bag from thanks to the previous floor.

Carys ate all of these, even the seeds. Ezra stood guard while they both waited for the negative effects to go away.

It worked, but it was only a temporary solution until they got to the end of the dungeon, where their bellies would magically replenish.

So, Carys decided she would eat any food they came across for the rest of the dungeon.

**B13F**

There was a Linoone and Typhlosion in a chamber. The latter helped Ezra by hitting her with Flamethrower, activating her Flash Fire. The Linoone helped by using Belly Drum, cutting its health for them even while it maxed its attack. But then the Linoone disappointed Team Banshee by using Rest, restoring the lost health. Carys dealt with it as Ezra tackled the fire-type.

Ezra dodged a Swift, then flung a Night Shade at the Typhlosion. It scampered out of the way, and hit her with Flame Charge, increasing its speed. She didn't care. The extra juice was quite nice, to be honest. She turned to the sleeping Linoone, called out a warning to Carys, and roasted the sleeping foe with Flame Burst. It fainted instantly.

Now all that was left was the Typhlosion. Carys sent out her Confuse Ray, but the speedy foe evaded the attack. It did, however, run straight into Ezra's Hex. It recoiled harshly, blanching against the blow. One last Flame-Leaf combo and they were foe-free.

"Nice." Carys said idly as she ate the Typhlosion's fallen Heal Seed.

**B14F**

"Penultimate floor." Winced Ezra. This day was _not_ going as she had expected.

"And we have Stairs." Sighed Carys, nodding to them.

**B15F**

An Abomasnow had spawned with them on the final floor, thus prompting a

**Weather Condition: Hail**

While it got in a Wood Hammer on Carys, it was unable to do anything against Ezra's Flame Burst. Carys took it out Trick-or-Treating, and the large Pokemon began sending out its Ingrain, growing roots that gave it power.

This only increased the duo's attacks. One more Flame Burst and a Shadow Ball later, they were golden. They ran though the rest of the floor, dodging hailstones as best they could, only pausing for Carys to eat something.

A few minutes later, they found a Hunger Seed, the one seed they must never eat. Ezra got an idea.

"This makes you completely immobilized, right?" She asked. Carys nodded, wincing as she was struck by a hailstone.

"Then...why don't we just use it against Giratina? That way, he'll be forced to sit there and do nothing as we pummel him!" Ezra exclaimed. Carys' jaw dropped.

"That...that would work!" She gaped. They looked down at the little seed.

"This will be the key to our success. This is why we were meant to come along! We'd find a Hunger Seed!" Grinned Ezra, carefully tucking away the seed.

"I think you're right." Carys nodded, beaming.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go defeat the Dark Lord!" Ezra laughed.

* * *

They seemed to make it to the end of the dungeon, but there was nothing there. Rocks tumbled down behind them when they entered, completely sealing them inside the room. The area was still the same, but the room they were in was much too small to comfortably house Giratina. The chamber was completely surrounded by walls only big enough for someone his size to stand in, and wasn't wide enough for him to turn around. If this was his lair, then no wonder he was so Dark. This room was a tortuous cage.

"...Is _He_ here?" Carys whispered fretfully, gazing all around the room. More green spheres of antimatter floated haphazardly around the room.

"I don't think so. This place is too small for _Him_ to hide in." Ezra responded, wandering warily around the room, alert for the smallest sign that Giratina was here. She walked over to a corner—then backed away hastily. She could begin to feel a change in gravity over there.

"...Maybe he's elsewhere in the world." Carys suggested, going over to look at the back wall.

"Hopefully."

"Ezra? You need to see this." Carys called after a few minutes. Ezra headed over to her friend, where she almost jumped in surprise. There were two Caryses in the room!

"I think there's a mirror here." The Caryses said at the same time, mirroring the other perfectly. Ezra turned to look at the wall, and gasped as she saw a Shiny Litwick in front of her! Her reflection gasped as well.

"I-I think you're right. But why would a mirror be here?" She asked, recovering from her surprise.

"Dunno. Maybe _He_'_s_ just vain?" Carys suggested, tapping the mirror with her forehead.

But when Carys touched the mirror, she sank _into_ it. Her body jerked in fright.

"Oh Arceus! EZRA!" Ezra could dimly hear Carys' muffled voice from within the mirror. She seemed to be struggling, as if she was being pulled to the other side.

"I'm coming!" Ezra shouted, racing over. But she was too late. As soon as she reached for Carys, the Pumpkaboo's body disappeared wholly into the mirror.

"Oh Arceus! Oh Arceus! Uh…" Ezra panicked, pacing in front of the mirror. Then, before she could stop herself, she flung herself into the mirror after Carys.

* * *

**I discovered a variant of The Wind! Okay, so, I was playing PMD: EoS, and I was in Deep Sealed Ruin. I was loitering around the floor in order to see if a Game Over caused by The Wind would eat up your Reviver Seeds (it doesn't), and when it began to approach, I was greeted not by leaves blowing in the wind, but by an earthquake! I had no idea The Wind had a sibling.**

**Oh, right, the story. So...our heroes begin the final fight against the Dark, and find that not everyone is pleased with Their Lady Formora, even though they're on the same side. That should tell you something. And we still don't know who the mysterious operative is...**

**Like it or not, Ez and Carys must go fight Giratina-who's strong to defeat Team Siren, for Arceus' sake-along with the other legendaries. Can they do it? Remember, while Ezra will eventually end up at Celestial Spire, she could have been taken there to be killed by Formora by Giratina after he mops the floor with her.**

**As for the next post...School's getting a bit hectic (homework is fun yaaaay...), so unfortunately I probably won't get the fight against Giratina ready for a few weeks. Until then, I hope this mega-post will suffice.**

**OH and regarding the music for the next post, I am once more trying something different. I'll explain then.**

**The Chapter 13 Finale shall include: a Renegade Pokemon, an Inferno, and Giratina's conflicted feelings. No, not in _that way_. **


	74. Chapter 74

**Notes regarding today's music selections: they have lyrics. Now, in a lot of video game franchises, boss battle music include lyrics (Sonic the Hedgehog is notorious for this). But whereas the track eventually loops back on itself in a smooth and flowy fashion, these two tracks are actual songs. So, when the songs end, feel free to skip back wherever you want, be it the beginning or where you think the song should loop back to* **. Or don't. You can choose not to listen, or even choose your own soundtracks. I don't care. Now that we've got that straightened out, on to the actual reason you're here!**

* * *

**Antithesis World**

**"Ah, my dearest Ezra and Carys. I've been wondering if I would ever get to meet you." **She heard that great, terrible voice before she had even registered what she had done. She opened her eye and found herself in a completely different world.

She was standing on a large gray stone platform that floated in midair. The large mirror was behind her, stretching far into the endless atmosphere. Miles below her lay a black void, similar to the one in Deep Antithesis Cavern. The sky was the same, just another endless black void. In the background to her left, she could see the mountain where the Dark's fortress lay, minus the actual compound, surrounded in dark blue ocean that abruptly cut off into a 90-degree waterfall. Both of these features were upside-down, completely defying gravity, the water falling upward. Below the mountain was another ocean, this one right-side up and about half a mile down from where Ezra stood. It too cut off at 90 degrees about ¼ of a mile away from where the platform lay. Connecting the two oceans were great white churning water spouts that swirled malevolently into both bodies of water. If she squinted, Ezra could make out the faintest trace of land behind the mountain, where the main continent would be. More green antimatter orbs floated haphazardly all around the infinite dimension.

And there, right in front of her, was Giratina himself.

He looked different than she had seen him in Cresselia's dream. This time, he had no legs, and his wings were nothing but six long black strands with a red claw attached at the ends. His body was serpentine, ending in a long pointy tail. He had gray and gold spikes jutting out from his sides all along his body. He was mainly colored gray, with red-and-black stripes here and there and gold plating around his head. He flew lazily in front of her, Levitating easily off the ground. He was bigger than she had ever imagined, bigger than Dialga and Palkia. How was she to defeat this great giant of a Pokemon...?

Carys was standing next to her, and luckily the Pumpkaboo didn't appear to be suffering ill effects from the mirror. Instead, Carys was gaping in utmost fear at the eldritch Pokemon in front of them.

**"You know me as Giratina, of course. Welcome to my home, where I was imprisoned for millennia by Arceus. And I know you both, all too well. You're the Light Champion and her companion who've come to destroy all my hard work!" **Giratina continued, the spikes on his body elongating and glowing white. Viciously, he Dragon Clawed a nearby antimatter orb, shattering it and causing it to explode, sending a shockwave through the nearby area. Ezra flinched as she was hit, but managed not to lose her footing.

**"Oh, goodness, I do apologize for that grotesque display. Normally I'm much more composed. It's just that I'm having quite the rough day today, you see. The Light has come knocking at my people's doors unwanted and are proceeding to take away all they have worked for, I have a terrible itch on my back that I can't scratch, Oksana and Kyurem are currently disobeying my direct orders and are executing our captives, Cresselia's been invading my dreams for the past few weeks, I have absolutely **_**no**_ **idea where Formora is, and to top it all off, **_**you two**_ **are here in my personal dungeon." **Giratina stormed. He seemed to compose himself afterwards.

**"Now...What do you want?" **He asked conversationally.

"You...defeated Team Siren..." Was all Ezra could say. Giratina seemed amused.

**"Ah, yes. I found I didn't care much for their Siren songs. They were much more easier to defeat than I had expected. What makes you two think you're any different?" **He chuckled.

"I...we...We're the heroes?" Ezra stumbled, her lower body starting to quake in terror. She was only just realizing how dire their situation was right now.

**"Ah. 'Heroes'. And what, pray tell, does that exactly **_**mean**_**? From what I'm told, you have no special abilities, and the only thing you have going for you, Ezra, is that you're Shiny. ...A Litwick. Heh, I see what Arceus was thinking when It turned you into that. A candle provides light when all is dark. I suppose that's what you're meant to do? Well, can one tiny former-human and an equally tiny Pumpkaboo from a small town ever hope to defeat a major legendary in his own world?" **Giratina paused for one silent, terrible second.

**"I think not." **He concluded. He flew over the platform, hovering over it. He spread his wings so that he appeared larger, and acquired a sinister expression. Although she knew it was impossible, Ezra could have sworn she felt the temperature plummet.

**"Now...Allow me to purge you from this world...**_**permanently.**_"

* * *

**Boss Battle—The Darkest Battle, Part the First (**** watch?v=fia3HCuZgYI****)**

"We're going to defeat you!" Ezra cried out as Giratina started to move again. "We eventually end up at Celestial Spire, so that means you'll lose!"

**"Not necessarily," **Giratina rumbled, flying in small circles in front of them. **"I could defeat you both, and bring you to the Spire to be killed by Formora, if she ever gets back from whatever she thinks is so important."**

"Why _did_ you choose her? Why did you bring her to this world?" Ezra persisted. She found she suddenly just _had_ to know these things, despite this definitely being the wrong time for such questions. This was the only time she'd ever get to hear Giratina's reasons for herself. Giratina didn't seem to mind answering, though.

**"Shortly after I defeated Arceus, I overheard It tell Xerneas telepathically that It planned to bring a human here to be Its Champion. The idea was too intriguing for me to pass up, and I decided to do the same, although I never meant for Arceus to actually **_**bring**_ **you here, the stubborn fool...I saw the darkness in Formora's heart, saw the potential she had for evil. I was drawn to her. I knew she would be perfect. And she was, for a time. But enough questions. **_**Show me how strong you are!"**_ Toned Giratina as his spikes grew into Dragon Claw again. In the blink of an eye, he flew right in between Ezra and Carys, raking them both with his spikes. Ezra screamed as pure _agony_ washed over her as she was sent flying back into the mirror. She hit the mirror with a hard _thud_, and slowly slid down to the ground, unable to move for a few seconds. Carys lay nearby, having suffered the same fate.

**"That portal's only one way, you know. For the longest time, Pokemon could come in, but they couldn't go back out. Until I found a way to escape. Nowadays, only **_**I**_ **can let you both out of this distorted world. But what's the fun in that?" **Giratina commented, watching them lazily from the far end of the floating platform. He was completely relaxed, and Ezra didn't fault him for it. _He _knew there was no reason to take this fight seriously. He could annihilate them anytime he wished, and there was nothing they could do to stop him.

Ezra and Carys moaned as they picked themselves up from the ground. Ezra stumbled for a second as her leg threatened to give out, but she managed to keep standing.

**"Here, I'll **_**let **_**you hit me this time. It's alright. " **He mocked, floating completely still. Ezra and Carys somehow mustered up the strength for Shadow Ball and Hex. Wincing in pain, they threw the attack straight at Giratina, who took them both without complaint. They didn't even leave a bruise on him.

**"See? You're not the heroes you thought you were. You can't hope to win this fight. Now it's **_**my **_**turn. Show me how defenseless you really are!"** As he said this, Giratina began forming a pink ball in front of his mouth. Ezra immediately recognized it as Draco Meteor.

"Out of the way! _Out of the way!_" She screamed to Carys as the fully-charged ball burst into several strands of lethal pink light that were heading straight for them.

The duo desperately threw themselves sideways, hoping to escape the ensuing blasts. Ezra landed roughly in the dirt, but covered her head with her hands as the Draco Meteor struck. Thankfully, somehow they had managed to dodge the attack, although each collision from the Draco Meteor strands shook the platform and threatened to make it crumble. Ezra fervently wished the structure would hold; she had no intentions of finding out what lay at the bottom of this reversed dimension.

**"Not bad," **Giratina said as he watched them pick themselves up from the ground. "**Although, I **_**was**_ **expecting a little more zing from the Champion of Light…"**

"What do you want?!" Snapped Ezra, feeling a lot of her patience being sapped. "Why are you toying with us? We get it; you're all big and mighty. JUST END IT ALREADY!"

**"I've been searching for you for months, my dear Ezra, ever since Arceus first brought you here. You're the hope of the enemy side, so of course there must be **_**something**_ **to you. I'm trying to find out what exactly that is. Clearly, it's not your strength or battling skills...But, if you wish me to terminate this fight, then so be it." **With this, Giratina vanished, leaving absolutely no trace behind.

"Where'd he go?!" Demanded Carys, looking wildly in all directions. Ezra looked, too, but didn't see him at all.

A second later, she felt a mountain slam violently into her, knocking her a mile into the air. She fainted as she began to fall back down.

Thankfully, she was revived _on _the ground, so at least she was spared from becoming a Shiny Litwick pancake. Giratina loomed mere yards above them. It had to have been him that sent her flying. Only he had that much strength.

**"Ah, Shadow Force, one of my favorite attacks…"** He sighed pleasantly. Shadow Force? Had that been the attack that made him disappear?

He prepared a Dragon Claw and swooped for them, but, anticipating this, Ezra and Carys rolled out of the way, barely managing to dodge the brutal attack. As Giratina flew over them, Ezra grazed his left side with Flame Burst, frustrated. Shadow Force sounded like a ghost-type move; why, then, had she been hit?

Her eye fell upon the Nether Globe, which was lying dejectedly by the edge of the platform. Ezra realized what had happened; the Globe had deactivated itself somehow!

"Distract him!" She yelled to Carys as Giratina came around for another Dragon Claw attempt. She threw herself over to the Globe as Giratina flew past her and Carys. Landing roughly on the ground, she snatched up the Globe and tapped it. Instantly, the Nether Globe lit up, and began happily orbiting around the duo.

**"Ah, a Nether Globe. How cute." **Chuckled Giratina as he circled the distorted mountain, taking care not to hit one of the water spouts, and flew back towards them.

"You bet it is!" Yelled Ezra angrily as she and Carys sent out a Hex and and Shadow Ball at the rapidly-approaching Giratina.

A giant green dome suddenly appeared in front of him, completely shielding him from the attacks. Ezra's scowl deepened. She had forgotten he knew Protect. Great.

Giratina hovered about a quarter of a mile above them, and began preparing Draco Meteor. In a flash, Ezra had an idea.

"Carys! The thing! The thing we found on the last floor!" She shouted, never taking her eye off Giratina.

"Oh. _OH._" Carys said, then rummaged quickly through their bag. Ezra took the Hunger Seed from Carys, and took careful aim. If she messed this shot up…

No. No time to think about failure. Time to _act._

She threw the seed as hard as she could in the air. The charging pink ball lay only about a foot from Giratina's open mouth, leaving twelve inches of open space. It was a long shot, but it was their only chance.

She made the shot.

But Giratina had other ideas.

Quick as a flash, he terminated Draco Meteor and actually _caught _the seed in his mouth. He chuckled briefly before spitting the seed down into the void below, never to be seen again. As the seed fell, so did all of Ezra's hope. There was no way they were winning this fight now.

**"Oh, a Hunger Seed. That's funny. I'll admit, I** _**am**_ **impressed you made that shot."** He laughed.

"_WHY?!"_ Ezra screamed at the heavens.

**"I can catch items too, you know. Just because I don't have hands doesn't mean I can't catch things." **Giratina informed.

With that, Ezra and Carys didn't even try to stop him as he began preparing another Draco Meteor. Just as he was about to unleash it, a familiar voice rang out.

"_NO YOU DON'T!"_ Hoopa screamed as his hoop appeared next to Giratina.

**"What the—**_**ack**_**!"** Giratina grunted as Hoopa came barreling out of the ring, forcefully punching Giratina in the jaw. The Draco Meteor dissipated once more.

"Ezra! Carys! Are you alright?" Team Banshee turned, and Ezra felt a grin spread across her face as Cresselia, Xerneas, Team Siren, and all the legendaries emerged from the mirror.

"Much better, now that you're all here." Carys beamed.

**"Bah, imbeciles! You will regret this!" **Giratina hissed, shaking his head as Hoopa came floating down to join the defenders on the ground.

Ezra felt her spirits rise. All of the Light legendaries were here with them...Maybe they stood a chance after all!

"I think it's you who will be doing the regretting, Giratina. It's time to end this! Face us all in battle!" Cresselia snarled, quivering in rage.

**"Heh...Very well. Let's give this another try." **If Giratina could grin, Ezra was 100% sure there'd be the most sinister grin of all time on his face.

And with that, all of the Pokemon in the dimensions charged.

* * *

**Boss Battle—The Darkest Battle, Part the Second ( watch?v=VCA7xipW2J0)**

The platform wasn't big enough to hold all of the battlers, but that didn't matter. Those who could fly or levitate floated above the abyss, and Kyogre leaped high into the air, where he splashed into the upside-down ocean above. This left only Zygarde, Reshiram, Victini, the Sirens, Hoopa, Xerneas, Team Banshee, Cobalion, Manaphy, and Phione. All 23 of the Shaymin from Gratitude Valley were in Sky Forme. It was still a tight squeeze, but no one really cared. There was still room to attack Giratina, and that was all that mattered.

"Victini and I found where they keep their Reviver Seeds, so we brought a bunch with us! We brought fifty seeds!" Hoopa called over to Ezra and Carys as he threw a Shadow Ball at Giratina at the same time Victini launched a massive Solar Beam.

Giratina shielded himself with Protect, and proceeded to rake the entirety of Reshiram's flank with Dragon Claw. The white legendary staggered for a second, but he stoically launched himself in the air to join the other fliers.

"Alright, Giratina, _let's dance!_" Xerneas shouted jovially, bounding forward so that he was directly below Giratina. He began swaying rhythmically to some silent beat.

"What kind of dance do you want? Mambo? Foxtrot? Tango? Ballet—that's _my_ favorite—Calypso? Hula? Samba? Sals—_AHHHHHHHHHHH!_" As Xerneas had been speaking, Giratina seemed to grow bored and had viciously used a quick Shadow Force that had sent Xerneas flying straight for the distant mountain.

"How's that possible?! We have a Nether Globe!" Demanded Ezra in astonishment as she helplessly watched Xerneas soar through the air. He seemed to pass through different strengths of gravity, as occasionally he would suddenly rise high in the air or sink low as he flew.

"That only protects ghost-types, meaning you two and Hoopa. The rest of us are fair game." Zygarde explained as she began using Dragon Dance, raising her attack and speed.

There was a terrible crashing sound as Xerneas finally collided with the mountain. Everyone minus Giratina winced.

"You okay, Xerneas?" Moltres called out to him.

"FINLAND!" Came Xerneas' faint reply.

"He's referencing things. He's fine." Cresselia scowled in his direction before she, Mesprit, and Articuno flew out to help him.

All of the remaining defenders sent out their most powerful attack-but Giratina merely vanished. He reappeared a second later, knocking Moltres and three Shaymin into the water below. A second later, four white beams sprung from deep beneath the surface. Thankfully, though, the four reappeared back onto the platform.

Giratina let out an ear-splitting screech as he sped for the trio of legendaries who had gone to retrieve Xerneas from the side of the upside-down mountain.

"No no no!" Yelled Ezra as she and Carys recklessly jumped onto Reshiram's back as he took off after Giratina. He gasped in surprise, but put up no protest.

Carefully, Ezra stood on the great white legendary's back, balancing precariously half a mile over the churning water below as Reshiram expertly dodged the dangerous antimatter orbs. Up ahead, Giratina flew steadily for the trio, who had now pulled Xerneas out of the mountain and were carrying him back.

Ezra could see Giratina's spikes elongating into Dragon Claw as he rushed mercilessly for the four. Out of the corner of her eye, the other fliers had joined them.

Together, she, Carys, and Reshiram unleashed a combination of Hex, Dragon Pulse, and Shadow Ball at Giratina. A second later, the others with them launched their own attacks as well. Zapdos unleashed her Thunder, Mew threw an Aura Sphere, Uxie and Azelf used Extrasensory, Darkrai tossed out a Dark Void, and the Shaymin all used Seed Flare. Up above, Kyogre threw down an Ice Beam.

Giratina vanished before any of the attacks could hit, leaving all the blows to hit the mountain instead. Unable to withstand all of that tremendous power, the entire top half of the mountain disintegrated.

"What?!" Demanded Reshiram, coming to a halt as Cresselia, Mesprit, Articuno, and a Psychically-held Xerneas soared past them.

Multiple screams behind them made them all turn. Giratina had instead opted to use Shadow Force on everyone back on the platform. Luckily, though, no white beams were spotted as Giratina sent multiple Pokemon careening into the air.

**"Ohhh, **_**thank you**_ **for destroying my mountain. In both this world and your world." **Giratina snorted angrily as he tanked a Water Pulse from Manaphy as the latter fell back down to the ground, having been sent upwards by Shadow Force.

"What do you mean?" Demanded Ezra as the fliers returned to the platform. She and Carys hopped down from Reshiram, and succeeded in blasting Giratina with Flame Burst and Razor Leaf. If only they were strong enough to actually leave a mark...

**"The two worlds are connected."** He explained briefly before KOing Zapdos with Dragon Claw.

"Ooooooh, it's _always_ good to have healthy connections with people! I guess the same thing applies to dimensions, eh?" Xerneas beamed as he began emitting a faint pink aura while chomping down on an Oran Berry. That must be his Fairy Aura. Too bad he was the only one with offensive fairy-type moves.

**"Be **_**silent, **_**you insufferable buck!"** Roared Giratina, slamming his tail angrily down on the platform, causing a large chunk of it to fall away into the void. Xerneas' face instantly grew furious, a look Ezra had never seen before on him.

"_I AM A STAG!"_ Xerneas screamed as he leapt into the air, glowing white as he drew power from the moon. Just as he was about to unleash his Moonblast, however, Giratina headbutted him straight into Phione and Team Siren, causing all five to lie there dazedly.

Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos circled Giratina, gearing up for an attack, but he easily swatted them out of the way with Dragon Claw. A second after he did this, however, Hoopa appeared next to his head, and socked him solidly in the jaw before Hyperspace Holing back to the platform.

"Has your moveset changed? I feel like it has." Ezra asked as all the land-bound Pokemon dove out of the way as Giratina came charging through the platform with another Dragon Claw. Zygarde's shout and the sound of a Reviver Seed activating occurred a moment later.

"I change my moveset every couple weeks, because I can." Hoopa explained briefly before he and Darkrai threw a Shadow Ball and Dark Void at the departing Giratina.

Giratina twitched slightly as he was hit with the former, and the latter move swelled to encompass him in the giant Dark Void. When the orb dissipated, Giratina paused, and so did everyone else. He blinked rapidly for a few seconds, then drooped a little, obviously fighting the attack. Just as it looked like he was about to fall asleep, he surprised everyone with a Draco Meteor. 48 pink strands fell down from the sky, and 48 Pokemon were each hit by one. Everyone minus Xerneas fainted, leaving them only with five measly Reviver Seeds. And Giratina still appeared to be going strong. True, he had a few bruises here and there, but ultimately it was the Light who was suffering. He was simply too strong.

"It's...not working…" Cresselia faltered as she carefully picked herself up off the ground.

"We're losing...But we have numbers on our side…" Trailed Dyrim, nursing a large bump on his head.

"He's too strong!" Wailed Mew. Giratina simply flew above them, easily dodging Kyogre's frustrated Origin Pulse.

**"Do you regret coming here? You all, who thought you were so strong? You all, who believed that with the strength of many, you could hope to defeat a major legendary who has been stuck with nothing to do but grow stronger for eons? HAH! Your folly will be your downfall!" ** Giratina gloated, ramming Kyogre with a regular attack. Kyogre groaned as he sunk deep beneath the waves, but luckily no white beam appeared.

Everyone drooped with despair. Everyone minus Ezra, who was growing rather sick of this fight.

"So you guys are just gonna stand there and give up?" She demanded. Silence met her. "I thought we said we'd fight to the death if we have to!"

"You saw his power, Ezra. Like he said, he has _eons_ of training behind him. None of us can match that…" Mesprit sighed sadly. Ezra felt something within her snap.

"_NO_." She said. "I am _not_ going to just sit here and watch you all let yourselves be killed because you can't be bothered to keep trying! I didn't even want to be here! I was supposed to go fight at Celestial Spire today, but _here I am_ getting kicked around, _and you guys are just letting him do it!_ Victini! Where is that military strength?! Cresselia! Where's our leader?! Azelf! Where's your unshakable will?! _All of you disappoint me." _She seethed. 47 Pokemon stared at her in shock. She kept going, rage fueling her on.

"We were supposed to end this! We started out strong, and then you all kept letting him smack you around! You all are legendaries; _you're supposed to be powerful. _Well, I'm not seeing it! All I'm seeing are a bunch of babies who are giving up because this fight was too hard for them! _War's not supposed to be easy, dammit! _It's not a war if you know you're gonna win!" She raged. A strange energy was flowing through her, making her flame swell high with power. Or fury.

"I wasn't supposed to be here! I didn't even want to fight Giratina in the first place! But here I am, and I'm trying my damndest to defeat the moron who's been making you all miserable for the past...I don't know. And then _this _jerkface—" Ezra pointed an accusing hand at Giratina, who was silently watching her tirade. "—decides 'Oh, I'mma just toy with Ezra and Carys! I won't defeat them, I'll just play with them like the sadistic sociopath I am! And no one will stop me, 'cause I'm so big and mighty'! _Honestly,_ I don't know what's wrong with you all!" Ezra concluded, feeling pure rage surge through her. Unable to contain it any longer, she squeezed her eye shut, and screamed all of her frustrations out. As she did so, she literally _felt_ her anger leave.

Exhaustion replaced her anger, and she fell to the ground, breathing heavily. For a second, all was still and silent. You could have even heard a pin drop.

"Um...Ezra…?" Carys piped timidly.

"What…?"

"You, uh, learned a new move…"

"What?"

"You just used Inferno." Informed an astounded Meloetta. Ezra stood back up, confused.

"I did? But I was just venting..."

"No, that was definitely Inferno." Mused Moltres. Well, if a fire-type legendary had said it…

**"Well. That was entertaining. Shall we resume the slaughter?" **Chuckled Giratina as he flew down at them, intending to rake them all with his Dragon Claws.

Surprisingly, though, Zygarde, Reshiram, Hoopa, Xerneas, and Darkrai managed to block him with a combined attack of Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Phantom Force, Moonblast, and Dark Pulse. Giratina was somehow unable to withstand the attacks and was actually _repelled_ backwards.

**"What?" ** He demanded, shaking his head.

"I feel...kinda bad." One of the Shaymin said as she landed near Cobalion on the platform. "I let myself panic."

"Yeah, I promised I'd fight to the death for the Light, and I was just about to run away." Another Shaymin chimed in.

"We all were. Like cowards." Phione sighed.

"I like what you said, Ezra, about how war's not a war if you know you'll win." Victini mused thoughtfully.

"We went in with high expectations, and when it turned out Giratina was stronger than we'd thought, we faltered." Frowned Mesprit.

"Even us, the Lake Trio, who together hold the power to stop a member of the Creation Trio." Uxie added sadly.

"Thank you for verbally slapping some sense into us, Ezra." Manaphy said sincerely, coming over to shake a bewildered Ezra's hand.

"...I could have done better. I _shall_ do better." Darkrai nodded slowly.

**"May I interrupt? This little exchange has been fun and all, but if you don't mind, I'd like to go back to pummeling you all." **Interrupted Giratina.

All of the defenders turned to gaze at him.

"I think…" Cresselia said slowly.

"The real fun's just about to begin." Victini said with a vicious grin. Giratina paused.

**"...So. That's it." **He said thoughtfully.

"What's what?" Asked Ezra, trying to figure out what move she forgot. She tried to called up an Ember, but found she couldn't.

**"I believe I've found why Arceus brought you here." **Giratina said enigmatically as he launched himself at the group below.

Once again, Zygarde, Reshiram, Hoopa, Xerneas, and Darkrai moved to create a barrier composed of their attacks, but this time Giratina forced his way past the five, knocking everyone on the platform aside.

"Meloetta! Carys! Manaphy! Join us!" One of the Shaymin above called out as they surrounded Giratina.

Ezra was confused until she saw all 23 of the Shaymin start to blow Sweet Kisses at their foe. Immediately realizing what they were needed for, Meloetta, Carys, and Manaphy added their Teeter Dance, Confuse Ray, and Water Pulse to the mix. Giratina paused as he fought to resist all of the attacks. He writhed and squirmed, struggling not to become confused.

"One sec." Hoopa said as he took an X-Eye Seed from Carys' bag and warped in front of Giratina. Hoopa threw the seed into his open mouth, and quickly warped back to the platform. This did it—Giratina succumbed to the effects of the X-Eye Seed, and by extension the confusion. He flew dazedly around the area, his eyes crossed.

"Use this time to set up!" Yelled Victini.

"Hail, rain, or sun?" Articuno called down from above.

"...Sun. Hail will only hurt us, and we have more fire-types than water-types." Victini said back after a moment.

Moltres gave off a red aura, and inexplicably bright sunshine began to shine throughout the dimension, powering up her, Reshiram, Victini, and Ezra. Ezra gladly absorbed the sun's rays, feeling her flame swell not with rage this time, but pure _power._

The Lake Trio simultaneously used Future Sight, and Cobalion began raising his attack with Swords Dance. Zygarde, Xerneas, Zapdos, Mew, Dyrim, and Hoopa followed suit with Dragon Dance, Geomancy, Charge, Barrier, Confide, and Light Screen.

"Daaaaaark Void!" Shouted Darkrai as he flew forward to try again with his signature move. He was too late; Giratina knocked him away with Dragon Claw just as he was about to launch the black orb.

**"Fall!" **Giratina hissed as he snapped out of the effects.

In response, he received three simultaneous Future Sight attacks, courtesy of the Lake Trio. He buckled under the weight of the blows, but ultimately straightened out and rose back into the sky.

He gave out a piercing cry and dove once more at the group, but all of the fliers rose to stop him. As the Pokemon above plus Kyogre—who was eagerly trying to nail Giratina with an upside-down Ice Beam—Hoopa took out his bottle and stared at it hard.

"Why do you have that?" Ezra shouted over the cries of the battle above. She was trying to figure out how she used Inferno, but couldn't seem to summon the energy for it.

"In case I needed it. And I think I do. Look, Giratina's starting to tire." Hoopa pointed. Indeed, the gargantuan Pokemon wasn't being as crafty as before. Multiple bruises covered him, and he was starting to fly a tad sluggishly.

"That's great, but why do you want to open that thing?" Asked Carys as she tried to hit Giratina with Razor Leaf. She was too far away from him, and so the attack dissipated once it flew out of her range.

"So we can end this before he decides to get serious." Hoopa said grimly, and before Team Banshee or Victini could stop him, he opened his bottle.

A pink mist flew out from it and enveloped Hoopa, causing him to grow in size. When the mist dissipated, the horrendous monster that was Unbound Hoopa remained. He let out a great roar, and made one of his six hoops grow.

"HYPERSPACE FURY!" He boomed as he warped to where Giratina was finishing knocking Mesprit out. Hoopa appeared underneath Giratina's jaw, and gave him such a nasty uppercut that Ezra actually felt _sorry_ for Giratina for a second. The ghost/dragon-type reeled from the blow, but snapped back to alertness and sent Hoopa flying with Dragon Claw.

**"That's enough!" **Giratina boomed. Ezra didn't miss that he was starting to pant, however. **"I'm sick of this! You all are **_**dead, **_**do you hear me?!" **He began to prepare a Draco Meteor, but an otherworldly screech made them all pause.

"Is that…?" Trailed Ezra. She had heard that scream before. But it couldn't be…

It was.

A tear in the dimension appeared near Kyogre, and a large gray-and-pink Pokemon flew out of it. It was bipedal with a long tail and had two pink pearls embedded in its shoulders.

**"Palkia...? How did you even—**_**augh!**_" Giratina's question was cut drastically short as Palkia gave his brother a vicious Spacial Rend. Giratina sank at least two miles down into the void below before flying back up.

_**"****YOU DID THIS TO ME!****"**_ Palkia roared, clutching his head in agony.

Palkia grabbed Giratina by his neck, and put the serpentine Pokemon in a headlock.

**"NOW!" **The Spacial Pokemon screamed.

Seeing their chance, all of the Pokemon attacked together. Moltres with Flamethrower, Zapdos with Thunder, Articuno with Freeze-Dry, and Mew with Metronome, which turned into Water there was Kyogre using Ice Beam, Dyrim using Uproar, Ranna with Rest, then Sleep Talk, and Meloetta with Psychic. Next to them were the Lake Trio all using Extrasensory, Manaphy using Water Pulse, Phione using Bubblebeam, and all the Shaymin with Seed Flare. Cobalion used Iron Head, Zygarde used Draco Meteor, Reshiram used Fusion Flare, and Darkrai used Dark Pulse. Side-by-side, Hoopa and Victini pummeled Giratina with Searing Shot and Hyperspace Fury. Then there were Cresselia and Xerneas, the Light leaders, adding their Psycho Cut and Moonblast to the mix.

Finally, that left only Ezra and Carys. Ezra felt a strange emotion course through her, and on impulse, she tried once more to use Inferno. This time, the energy came without hindrance, and she created a bright blue ball of fire in front of her swelled flame. Together with Carys' Shadow Ball, Ezra launched a blue beam of fire at Giratina, pouring all her heart and soul into the attack.

All of these attacks soared straight at the captured Giratina. He struggled and squirmed viciously to break free of Palkia's killer grip, but the large gray Pokemon held onto him tightly, forcing him to take all 48 of the attacks.

He let out an ear-splitting wail as the full front of the blows reached him. It was then did Palkia finally release him. But the second after he did, Palkia slammed a Spacial Rend directly down upon Giratina's skull. The Dark Lord fell, and fell, hitting numerous antimatter orbs until he could no longer be seen.

* * *

Palkia let out a victory screech, and promptly warped out of the dimension. A staggering silence followed, and Ezra fell to the ground, exhausted by her contribution. She was not the only one to do so.

"Is...is it over?" Carys asked nervously after what felt like an eternity.

"Yes. I believe so." Cresselia nodded, then burst into tears.

"W-We did it…" She sobbed. "We actually did it…"

**"Yes...you have."** Ezra's blood ran cold as she heard that voice, distant and faint as it was. A few minutes later, Giratina soared back above the platform, between those on the platform and Kyogre, who was still swimming in the upside-down ocean above.

**"That was...a worthy battle." **He rumbled, no trace of evil in his voice.

"Care for a rematch?" Snarled Victini, her ears bursting into flame.

**"Spare your V-Create, Victini. I am done. With this battle, and being the leader of the Dark."** Sighed Giratina, one of his wings gingerly touching the spot on his head that had been hit point-blank by Palkia's Spacial Rend.

"Wh-what…?" Asked one of the Shaymin, who were cautiously orbiting around him. Speaking of orbiting things, Ezra gently caught the Nether Globe, and tapped it. Instantly it grew dull, and fell unceremoniously into her hands.

**"I've found I have grown tired these past few weeks. The thought of rebellion against my creator is no longer appealing to me. I've grown bored with what the Dark is doing."** Giratina explained.

"You weren't saying that a minute ago." Ezra challenged.

**"True, it is still easy for me to fall back into the line of thinking I have thought for eons. But...I long for a change from the same old thoughts, the same ambitions, the same plots to destroy everyone. I've grown tired of hearing the same internal echo chamber. I kept up the charade because I wanted to see how strong the Light really was, if they could defeat me. I haven't had such a thrilling battle in ages... Most importantly, I wished to see for myself if you, Ezra, would be capable of defeating my own Champion, Formora. And I believe that, yes, you can. And that gladdens me."**

"WHAT?!" Everyone screeched.

"But you said it yourself, she's perfect!" Ezra protested wildly. This couldn't be happening. Giratina, the Lord of Darkness himself was _not _advocating his own Champion's death.

**"And she was. Until I saw myself in her eyes one day. Purest, darkest evil with no remorse whatsoever. It was at that moment I had an epiphany. She was turning into me. No, she was turning into something **_**worse **_**than me. I saw the insanity in her eyes. It...frightened me. Was that who I was? Was that who I was becoming? After that, I began to pay more attention to her doings. Before, I had mainly left her to her own devices while I plotted alone in my distorted world... As I watched her, I grew horrified. She was hurting other members of the Dark, her own coworkers and allies...And she cared not a whit for any of them, even though they too had suffered in the past like she did. She set some of them against each other, drove a Porygon-Z into having a mental breakdown, and bullied poor Flora until she developed an eating disorder...And that was only the least of it. No, I made a mistake in bringing her here. I made a mistake in grooming her into being my prodigy. She has surpassed my darkest expectations, and I truly fear for the world if she lives. For the good of the realm, she needs to be executed." **Giratina ended gravely.

"You're...you're lying…" Ezra trailed softly after a moment of stunned silence.

"No..." Said Reshiram. "I am the legendary of truth. I can tell when others are lying. And right now, Giratina is not lying." He explained, sounding surprised himself. Ezra turned back to Giratina, her entire body trembling.

**"I do apologize for what I've done to Arceus, though. Once, long ago, I sought more power, and tried to take it by force from It. But I was stopped, and banished to this realm. For 8,547,016,639,543,123,735,946,938,102 years I plotted my revenge...I believed I was right, and It was wrong. I vowed I would seek out others like me and destroy It. And so my plan began...But now, I seek no more power. I am content. Seeking revenge...is such a waste of time. I'm...so tired. But that is not of the utmost concern right now. The Light has defeated me, and now it is time for the Champion to ascend Celestial Spire. It's 50 floors long. You'll want to leave immediately...I sense that Arceus is only hours away from death…"**As if to underline his words, a powerful tremor coursed through the entire dimension. Many Pokemon—including Team Banshee—screamed as they struggled and failed to hold onto something as the platform shook violently. A few Pokemon fell of the edge of the perch, but the legendary birds and everyone with Psychic caught those who had fallen. After what felt like forever, the shaking finally stopped.

"What was that?!" Demanded a shaken Phione as Reshiram set her back down on the platform.

**"Celestial Spire. It grows perilously close to crumbling. When it does, this entire world shall feel its fall. My reversed world feels it too, as if you have just experienced." **Giratina rumbled.

"Giratina's correct when he says that you need to leave immediately, Ezra and Carys." Cresselia said, turning to face the duo.

"What will the rest of you do?" Asked Carys.

"Darkrai and I...we shall cause Giratina to fall into a great sleep so that he does not try and escape until Arceus has been saved. The others here shall help us guard him." Cresselia said after a moment. "You realize that this is necessary, right?" She added to Giratina.

**"I understand." **Giratina nodded sagely. **"But before you do, may I search for Formora one last time?" **Cresselia paused, then nodded.

Giratina flew over to the large mirror, flying high enough so that those on the platform would not have to move. As he stared at the reflective surface, the mirror began to shimmer. Eventually, it settled on a strange moving picture.

There was something narrow and brown in the middle of the image. Surrounding the object was a twilight sky. Near the top of the object, the heads of a Froslass and Fraxure could be seen. Towards the bottom of the brown object, a Vibrava could be seen speedily towing the object forward.

**"There she is. She, Kia, and Firnen are on their way to the Spire, I'd imagine."** Giratina observed.

"How can you tell?" Asked Ezra, trying to make sense of the strange picture.

**"They are in one of the small boats land-bound Dark Pokemon use to get to the mainland. We are gazing at them from the ocean's surface. I can only scry through reflective objects, water being amongst them." **Giratina explained.

"You need to hurry. Dragonite should be near the beach. Don't worry about us." Cresselia ordered, nudging Ezra and Carys towards the mirror, which had gone back to its original state.

"But—" Ezra protested.

**"GO!"** Giratina boomed.

They did.

* * *

***So Cold and Angels Fall belong to Breaking Benjamin**

****While I'm at it, all previous and future music I use don't belong to me, but rather to their respective owners.**

**The great Giratina is starting to realize that what he's doing is wrong, and is even repentant of his actions. Most others like him could not say the same. And it's all thanks to our favorite antagonist, the ever-hateful Formora. Throughout our last few encounters with her, we've watched as she slowly grows more and more insane. In the last post, we even learned a little bit about her former life as a human. Does any of this change your perceptions of her?**

**Also, before anyone asks, no, neither Oksana nor Kyurem are Cresselia's mysterious operative, although Kyurem's name **_**does**_ **start with K...**

**The final countdown until the end is nigh, with only two more posts. As you may have expected, the next two posts will be as follows: the next post will consist of Team Banshee's journey to Celestial Spire and their ascent of the 50-floor dungeon (My, I've gotten rather ambitious, haven't I?). The second post will feature the final battle between Ezra and Formora. **

**The (final!) Chapter 14 premiere shall include: the divine dungeon of Arceus, Celestial Spire.**


	75. Chapter 14 Dum Spiro Spero

**Chapter 14. **_**Dum Spiro Spero**_

* * *

**Antithesis Chamber**

Ezra blinked as she entered the dungeon from the mirror. Going back through the mirror felt kinda like breaking the surface of water, exiting one world and entering another. ...Which was _exactly _what she and Carys were currently doing. A second after they reentered the dungeon, they were surprised by Victini joining them.

"What are you doing here?" Ezra asked, bewildered.

"Escorting you through the compound. I'm taking no chances, not when your destiny is perilously close." Victini stated.

Ezra blanched at the word 'destiny'. Truth be told, she was not looking forward to her coming task. She rather liked living, and had no desire to be senselessly murdered. But she didn't exactly have a choice in that matter…

"But we destroyed the mountain, remember? There shouldn't be anything left…" Carys trailed, no doubt remembering Giratina's revelation that what happened in _his_ world, happened in _their _world.

"A moment." Replied Victini, and as if on cue, a small tremor occurred. It wasn't at all like the one from a few minutes ago, or even the one the other day. This one was much smaller, and felt...different, if earthquakes could feel different from one another. A dull humming sound was ringing all throughout the room.

"What's going on?!" Exclaimed Carys as they all were jostled slightly about.

"Giratina has the power to alter anything that was destroyed in his realm. He's fixing the mountain!" Victini yelled back.

"He can do that?!" Ezra and Carys chorused together in disbelief. Just how powerful _was _he? Victini didn't answer them, and presently the quake ceased.

As soon as it was safe to move, Victini blasted a hole in the other side of the caved-in wall with Zen Headbutt. Her ears glowed white, and she unflinchingly bashed the heck out of the wall, leaving a large hole leading back to the waypoint.

"Come on!" She yelled impatiently as she raced forward. With nothing better to do, Team Banshee followed her.

They ran past the waypoint, and came to the beginning of the dungeon, the part that was sealed by the great silver doors. This time, when Ezra pushed them, the doors slid open, finally allowing them back into the base.

"What about Hoopa? He's Unbound, right?" Recalled Ezra as Victini led them through hall after hall, turn after turn. It was a lot quieter here now, and many Dark Pokemon could be seen trussed up, guarded by various members of the Light. Everyone's faces looked confused. Since they had all just gone from no-more-mountain to here's-the-mountain, Ezra didn't blame them.

"Darkrai should have Dark Voided him by now. He'll keep Hoopa asleep until he turns back." Victini responded curtly as they raced past Team Valkyrie, who were guarding an Azumarill and two Aegislash. Trina and Milana waved at them while Chrysi cheered as they passed. Ezra was glad the trio had made it out of the siege okay.

Finally, Victini led them to the entrance hall, out the doors, and down the mountain slope. When they reached the shoreline, a Dragonite with a large satchel was waiting.

"Here they are." Panted Victini as she screeched to a halt.

"Excellent. Get on my back, you two." The Dragonite nodded solemnly, forgoing all preamble.

"What will you do now?" Inquired Carys as they climbed aboard Dragonite's back. It was starting to get dark; the sun was almost through setting by now. Ezra hadn't realized just how much time had passed since this morning. It felt like it was a hundred years ago that she set out with Cresselia and Xerneas for Destiny Ridge this morning.

"I'll make sure everything's as it should be. Don't worry about me. Just focus on your mission." Victini said. She clasped hands with Ezra.

"If you do not make it...it was an honor to know you, and fight alongside you." She said bravely. Ezra found she suddenly couldn't speak, and merely nodded in return. There was a painful lump growing in her throat.

Victini nodded as well, and stepped back to give Dragonite room to take off. Ezra and Carys waved goodbye as he flapped his wings and sprung into the air. He flew higher and higher, until they were above the clouds. Ezra watched as Victini and the mountain grew smaller and smaller until the former was the teeniest orange dot against the stony landscape.

Finally, Dragonite stabilized his altitude, and just like that, they were on their way to Luminous Spring.

"I believe we haven't had the pleasure of meeting. My name's Dragonite." Dragonite said a minute later. Ezra and Carys introduced themselves. Dragonite held out an Invisify Orb.

"Gonna need to use this now, so those three down there don't see us." He warned, looking down at the ocean below.

Ezra looked too, and felt her heart skip a beat as she saw Team Renegade reach the mainland a half a mile away. Dragonite crushed the orb with his bare hands, and everyone fell silent as they passed over the evil trio below. Or maybe evil duo? Ezra had not forgotten Kialandi's kindness at their last encounter. He had actually let them go. Maybe that meant he was secretly good? Or...wait. Could _he_ be the mysterious operative of Cresselia?! No, no, that was a stupid idea. The operative was female, not male.

Ezra let her thoughts drift away from mystery spies and to her final mission that was rapidly approaching. All too soon, she would ascend Celestial Spire, where she'd either save the world or die a brutal death. Probably the latter. She was just one Litwick, and Formora had defeated them mercilessly during their last three encounters. The Froslass had a _knife_, for Arceus' sake! How was she supposed to compete with a bloodthirsty psychopath with a knife?!

She wished fervently that she wasn't the Chosen One. She couldn't do it. She simply wasn't capable of murder, even if it was the right thing to do. How was she supposed to be okay with spilling another creature's blood, even if said creature had no qualms about doing the exact same thing to her? She felt herself getting woozy at the thought of blood, so she forced herself to put the thought out of her head. Focus on getting to the Spire. Then focus on getting to the top. One step at a time.

They flew over the mainland, and five minutes later the Invisify Orb's effects dissipated. They were well away from Team Renegade by now, so it wasn't that big of an issue.

"We'll have to stop somewhere for the night pretty soon, I'm afraid. Unless you want to pull an all-nighter?" Dragonite called back. Ezra thought, then shook her head.

"No, it'd be best if we tackled the Spire at full strength." She said. The longer she could put off her destiny, the better.

Dragonite nodded, and they resumed their silent pilgrimage across the land.

A few hours later, Dragonite landed in the mountain range that separated Lily Town from Destiny Ridge. There was a spacious cave nearby that seemed unoccupied, so the trio decided to make that their shelter for the night. Dragonite had brought almost a hundred berries in his satchel, and the trio feasted on most of them for dinner. Dragonite brought firewood, and Ezra tilted her head so that the pile would catch alight from her flame. Carys and Dragonite were asleep soon after, but Ezra found she couldn't fall asleep.

_I'm going to die tomorrow,_ she thought miserably, rolling over onto her side. _I'm going to die, and I'll be known forever as the Light's Failure. I wish Voice were here...I miss its presence…_

_But you're going to save Voice, remember? Voice is Arceus, _a little voice in her mind said. _You promised It long ago that you'd save It, and tomorrow you're gonna do just that. Don't let It down._

_But I'm not strong enough to stand up against Formora! _Ezra protested. _She's going to kill me, then kill Voice!_

_You won't have to worry about that if you _do _fail. All you can do is try, Ezra. Right before It dies, what'll Voice/Arceus think when It realizes you never even showed up? _She didn't have an answer to that.

Still feeling troubled, she eventually managed to drift off into sleep, where she dreamed of Formora brutally stabbing Arceus over and over again.

* * *

**Luminous Spring**

They arrived at the exact center of the continent around noon. A small, crystal-clear lake lay below, and a Kangaskhan Rock stood nearby. Dragonite landed carefully in front of the lake—which _had_ to be Luminous Spring—and gingerly the duo climbed off his back.

"I've gotta get back to Lady Cresselia. I'll leave you two to it. Good luck." He said as he unceremoniously took off again. Team Banshee watched as he grew farther and farther away. When they could no longer see him, they turned back to the spring before them.

"This must be Luminous Spring. Doesn't look so luminous." Observed Carys, coming to float near the edge of the lake.

"Isn't it out of order right now?" Asked Ezra.

"Yeah. C'mon, let's do the thing." Carys said as they jogged over to the Kangaskhan Rock.

Ezra put all of their items inside the Rock, and took out their second bag, along with all 18 Shards. The Exploration Federation had allowed them to carry a second bag for exactly this journey. They'd be unable to succeed otherwise. Ezra piled the Shards inside, leaving them with enough room for six extra items.

With that done, they set about organizing their supplies. After much deliberation, they took out: 87 Gravelrocks, 65 Iron Thorns, five apples, five Oran Berries, a Pecha Berry, two Blast Seeds, an Encourage Seed, a Heal Seed, a Violent Seed, their four remaining Reviver Seeds, two Sleep Seeds, two Stun Seeds, three X-Eye Seeds, and of course, the Space Globe. Ezra still had the Nether Globe, and Carys still wore a Pecha Scarf.

When Ezra took out the Space Globe, it immediately began emitting a bright light, then levitated in the air. It flew away from them and seemed to insert itself in something invisible, and presently a humming noise echoed through the area.

Then, right in front of their eyes, Celestial Spire appeared.

It was a circular tower, colored gray, with tall steps the color of smoke leading up to the entrance, which was surrounded in gold. Above the entrance, set in a small alcove, was the Space Globe. Green gems were embedded here and there in the walls, and markings raced vertically up the sides. These markings were ever-shifting in color, going from sky blue to black to brown and so forth. Ezra realized these were the same colors as the Gummis. These colors represented all of the 18 types. And didn't Arceus had the exclusive ability to change Its type?

The tower stretched high into the sky, looking much more than 50 floors long. Had Giratina lied?

_Doesn't matter, _said the little voice in her head from last night. _You'll go to the ends of the earth for Voice._

The voice was right. That didn't stop Ezra from wishing her conscious would shut up.

Celestial Spire loomed above, a faint ethereal aura pulsing from it. But none of these features—even those mentioned before—were the most prominent of details. The tower had great spiderweb cracks covering every inch of the walls. On the ground, large pieces of the dungeon lay, having crumbled already. The structure was hanging on by the minutest of threads—meaning Arceus was very, _very _close to death. The smallest earthquake, _anything_ that caused the ground to shift the _tiniest _bit would cause the entire dungeon to come crashing down to the ground, creating a worldwide tremor that would cause this continent to come to ruins. And the worst part was none of that was hyperbole.

"Wow…" Marveled Carus in awe, staring up at the tower. Ezra didn't say anything. She was torn between feeling astounded at the divinity of the dungeon and terror for what loomed at the top.

"We did it. We finally made it to Celestial Spire." Carys continued quietly. Ezra could only nod.

"Come on. Let's go rescue Arceus." Said Carys solemnly.

Suppressing every urge to turn and run away, Ezra forced herself to walk to the dungeon, climb the dark gray stairs, walk into the dungeon. She couldn't help but let out a faint moan as they entered Celestial Spire.

Unbeknownst to them, approximately five minutes after they did, Team Renegade entered the dungeon as well.

* * *

**Celestial Spire ( watch?v=V9oPdT1aX58)**

**1F**

Ezra found herself in a sparkling room. The floor was made of light gray porcelain with darker gray tiles embedded at regular intervals. The walls seemed to be made of solid gold, with green emeralds here and there. All the colors of Arceus.

But even the inside was suffering. As with the outside, cracks could be seen almost everywhere. A sickly-sweet odor was in the air, projecting the image of illness into Ezra's head. Even the atmosphere was reflecting Arceus' state of health. On the wall opposite Ezra and Carys, another small crack was forming right before their eyes. It grew to the size of an Oran Berry, then a Chesto Berry, then a Joltik, and finally settled at the size of a Marshtomp.

Things were bad. For a moment, Ezra forgot about dying and became focused on rescuing Arceus and saving It and Its divine dungeon. Then the thoughts about being murdered returned, and just like that, she settled back into fear for the oh-so-near future.

"Whoa...Y'know, this place would look really pretty if all these cracks were gone. All the more reason to succeed, right?" Carys beamed at her. Ezra gulped, thinking guiltily about dying, and thus failing.

"Yeah." She said, forcing herself to smile at Carys.

"Lead the way, O Champion." Carys laughed.

Wishing fervently that she had an Escape Orb, Ezra had no choice but to proceed.

**2F**

As they were walking down a narrow hall, they noticed a Seviper heading their way. Carys ducked into the wall in order to help Ezra.

Ezra was very glad for the distraction. Eagerly, she opened up by tossing an Iron Thorn at the poison-type foe. It _caught_ the Iron Thorn, and wasted no time in throwing it back at her. Ezra yelped in pain as the Thorn entered her side. She pulled the item out of her, wincing as she did so. The Thorn broke into pieces, and she dropped them to the ground. By now, the Seviper was within attacking range.

It opened by using Wring Out, quickly grabbing her and coiling its tail around her, trapping her. Then it squeezed her tightly, causing her to gasp as her lungs were crushed. Then it let go of her, and she fell to the ground in a rasping heap. She took several deep breaths, and breathed a sigh in relief when no sharp stabs of pain shot through her. None of her ribs were broken, at least.

Then she was headbutted by the Seviper's regular attack, knocking her to the floor. Carys punished it with Shadow Ball, and as the foe veered around to search for the unseen attacker, Ezra nailed it with Flame Burst.

Quick as a whip, the Seviper leaped at her with its mouth open. She was unable to dodge, so she was cruelly Crunched on the head. She let out a scream as the Pokemon released her. She felt her head, searching for puncture wounds. There! They were by her flame. They didn't seem deep, so she left them alone and KO'd the foe with Night Shade.

"Nicely done!" Carys beamed as she came out from the wall.

"Thanks." Ezra said briefly before going back to worrying about death, no longer distracted from those thoughts.

**3F**

They spawned not with a Pokemon, but with an item. Lying nearby was a red band with a green stripe through the middle. A Patsy Band. Ezra turned to Carys the Item Expert.

"This makes you more likely to take critical hits." The Pumpkaboo informed.

"Why would anyone wear this?" Ezra demanded.

"Search me." Carys shrugged.

They ignored the Patsy Band and went on their way.

**4F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

A Blaziken and Omastar had spawned with them, along with rain. Ezra was not pleased, and not just because she was about to die.

"I got Omastar." Carys told her as she went to chase down the ancient foe, who was extra-speedy thanks to its Swift Swim.

Ezra gladly turned to the Blaziken. She was very much thankful for battling foes for once in her life. Battling distracted her from the task at hand.

She dove at the Blaziken, managing to graze its foot as it attempted to dodge her Night Shade. The fire/fighting-type spun around like a dancer and kicked her square in the face. She wailed as she was sent back three meters. Scowling, she picked herself up and nimbly dodged its Slash. There shouldn't be much it could do to hurt her, so she went in for a close-quarter Hex. Her enemy evaded the attack, tucked its arms to its sides, then promptly shot towards her.

Ezra couldn't jump out of the way in time, and so she was knocked high into the air by the Blaziken's Brave Bird. As she fell back down, the Blaziken steeled itself with Focus Energy, hoping to nail her with a critical hit. Well. She couldn't allow that to happen, now could she?

The Blaziken positioned itself underneath her, and its right leg burst into flame. Oh. Well. Okay, then.

Change of plan. Ezra _let_ herself be hit by Blaze Kick, and laughed in pleasure as her Flash Fire was activated. Power surged through her, and she grinned viciously as she blasted her foe with a fiery wave of Flame Burst. The Blaziken winced from the unexpected onslaught, and Ezra quickly finished it off with Hex.

She looked over at Carys, who was having some trouble hitting the extra-fast Omastar. It kept dodging and weaving away from her attacks, and was currently annoying her with Spike Cannon. White needles were being shot from its shell and onto Carys. Ezra grinned wickedly as she sent out an attention-getting Night Shade at the foe, ignoring the rain that was pelting her.

As it turned to see just where the heck the Hex came from, Carys took advantage of its distraction to finally KO it with Razor Leaf.

"Thank you for that." She sighed to Ezra.

"Yup." Ezra nodded, saddened that the battle was over.

**5F**

The Stairs were with them. They too were cracked, and the third and fourth stair were missing. They didn't seem likely to hold Ezra's weight, but miraculously, they did.

**6F**

This time, they spawned in with a Chandelure. So. This was the final version of Ezra's species. She gazed at the chandelier-like Pokemon curiously. It gazed back at her, the candle-like Pokemon. All they needed now was the lamp-like Lampent and the family would be complete.

After a few moments of staring, the Chandelure flung a purple wave of energy at her and Carys. The Nether Globe created a purple dome around the duo, protecting them,, and Ezra realized she recognized the attack—that was her own move!

"It knows Hex!" She warned Carys, sending out a Night Shade at the foe. It swung itself out of the way, and sent out two twirling lights that too were familiar. So this thing knew Hex and Confuse Ray, eh? Not a problem. She closed her eyes, blocking out the sight of the confusing lights. She was limited to just her ghost-type moves, as Chandelure, being part of the Litwick family, knew Flash Fire and Flame Body as she did. The good thing was, Chandelure was similarly constrained.

When she opened her eyes, she observed her foe turn toward Carys, and shoot out a volley of fire. Flame Burst. The good thing about the attack was that it automatically spread to include any enemies around, meaning Ezra was hit, and subsequently powered up. Bad news was, Carys was hit as well.

The Pumpkaboo wailed as she was singed by the hot flames. Ezra quickly used Night Shade on the Chandelure, hoping to distract it so Carys could recover. It turned to her, and let out a thick cloud of Smog. Ezra coughed, trying desperately not to breathe in the toxic fumes. In anger, she threw a Hex at her foe while holding her breath. It prepared to use Flame Burst—then fell to Carys' Shadow Ball. The toxic Smog dissipated almost instantly, and Ezra took several great mouthfuls of air.

"You okay?" She asked once she could breathe without coughing again.

"Yeah. Just startled me, was all. Think we'll find a Gourgeist here, since there's a Chandelure?" Responded Carys as they headed down a cracking hallway.

"Maybe. Anything's possible, I guess."

_Like my death here in a few hours or so..._

**7F**

As they walked through a hall, another crack appeared in the gold wall beside her. Ezra winced at the further display of disarray in the ethereal dungeon. She entered a spacious chamber, where she saw a Porygon-Z. The Pokemon noticed her as Carys as well, and began to head for them.

Carys stepped up beside Ezra, and threw a Razor Leaf at the red and blue Pokemon. It weaved out of the way, and sent out an electric Discharge through the entire room. Carys only flinched, being resistant to electric-type moves, but Ezra screamed as electricity coursed through her. She angrily sent a Flame Burst at the Porygon-Z. It blinked, then sent out red chains that latched onto their bag, preventing them from using items. Embargo.

"Heads up, we got another enemy." Carys warned as she made the foe confused with Confuse Ray. Ezra turned, and saw an Accelgor head for them.

"You finish up with that one. I've got this." Ezra said as she turned to the newcomer.

She tried to call up an Inferno, wanting to see her new attack again. She felt power begin to surge through her, heading for her flame—but suddenly the power fell away like a receding wave, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't summon the energy up again.

Frustrated, she threw her other fire-type attack at the foe, but it speedily jumped to the size. The Accelgor began emitting a loud, screeching noise that threatened to cause Ezra's eardrums to rupture.

"Stop it!" Ezra howled, cutting the Accelgor's Bug Buzz off with a Flame Burst to the face. The Accelgor shuddered, and began to glow white. When the glow dissipated, all of its bruises from the previous attack were gone. She scowled. And _of course_ this thing knew Recover. Today was just a _wonderful _day for her.

The Accelgor quickly rammed her, then jumped back a few meters. Ezra shook her head, winded but not terribly hurt.

"U-Turn doesn't hurt me that much, you know." She said irritably at it. The Accelgor didn't seem to mind as it sped for her once more.

She braced herself, but there was no need. Right before she was hit, the Accelgor was brutally hit by a Shadow Ball, and sent flying. It landed with a _thud_ on the porcelain floor, creating a new crack to add to the other ones. Ezra winced. This dungeon was shattered enough without their adding to it.

The Accelgor stood back up, and faced them. Carys, who was done with the Porygon-Z, stood next to Ezra, and promptly summoned candy, turning the Accelgor into a bug/ghost-type.

Ezra and Carys met each other's eyes, and an understanding was passed between them. Grinning, Ezra tossed a Night Shade at their foe, aiming for its right side. As they had expected, it dove to the left—and straight into Carys' Shadow Ball. Before it could get up and use Recover, Ezra finished it with Flame Burst.

They shared a brief grin with each other before Ezra took the lead again, once more absorbed in her morbid thoughts.

**8F**

This time, they spawned with a Skarmory. Simple enough to defeat, luckily. Ezra started off with Flame Burst, and took the foe by surprise. It whipped around to face them, then began shedding some of its razor-sharp feathers. Its Autotomize made it more speedier. It followed up by rubbing its remaining feathers together, producing a harsh Metal Sound that made Ezra cover the spot where her ears would be.

"Would you not?" Carys demanded loudly as she angrily threw a Shadow Ball at the Skarmory. It dodged, and the attack crashed into the far wall, where a large crack appeared.

"Oops." Carys faltered, and the Skarmory seized its chance and flung an Air Slash at her. Carys was sent flying.

Ezra avenged her friend with a successful Flame Burst. The Skarmory punished her by using Metal Sound once again, the horrible screech causing her to remain immobile with agony.

But, the attack was cut short as Carys managed to hit the foe from across the room with Razor Leaf. The Skarmory let out a startled squawk as it was hit. As soon as she was able to hear herself think again, Ezra quickly dispatched the foe with Flame Burst.

As the foe went down, she turned to the nearest exit and sighed heavily. 42 more floors to go.

"You okay?" Carys asked as she joined Ezra.

_No, I'm not, _Ezra wanted to say. _In 42 more floors, I'm going to die. I can't kill Formora; I'm not like her! I've failed before I've even begun!_

But Ezra did not say these things. It was best not to worry Carys, who still remained relatively cheerful despite the intensity of their current mission. Besides, Ezra was forced to go on, at least until the waypoint. They hadn't brought an Escape Orb with them, and something told her she wouldn't find one in this broken dungeon. All she wanted to do now was get to the waypoint.

"Yeah," She replied. "It's just...this place is so big! And all these cracks…"

"I know what you mean." Carys nodded soberly. "This place doesn't deserve looking like this. Luckily, we're about to fix that."

Ezra didn't answer that as she led Carys down the hall.

**9F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

Ezra liked that the sun was shining. It made her more powerful, made her feel more alive. As she was walking down a hall, they came across a Gigalith. She immediately jumped in the wall beside it, and allowed Carys to deal with it.

Carys began with Razor Leaf, and the large Pokemon was too slow to dodge. It shook its head angrily at her, and began pummeling her with a Rock Slide from above. The 'rocks' were actually parts of the ceiling…

"Hey! Stop contributing to the desecration of this place!" Carys protested as she was struck by multiple shards of the ceiling. Ezra agreed, and silently pummeled the Gigalith with Hex.

It struck Carys with one more Rock Slide for emphasis, then turned to find this new attacker. As it did, Carys defeated it with another Razor Leaf. Ezra started to phase back into the actual dungeon, but movement caught her eye. She remained put.

"Unown on its way." She informed.

When the Unown R was within attacking range, Ezra threw a Flame Burst at it. It dodged, and attempted to strike her with Hidden Power, but, since she was in the wall, the attack had no effect.

"Beep." Ezra said to it, remembering the Unown at Primordial Ruins. The R-shaped Unown remained silent.

Carys hit it with Shadow Ball. The Unown retaliated with a silent Hidden Power that caused Carys to come crashing to the ground. The Pumpkaboo winced, but didn't seem overly injured.

"Electric-type." She said briefly to Ezra before she took the Unown Trick-or-Treating. The Unown still remained silent as it tried to hit her again with Hidden Power.

"Why is this one silent?" Asked Ezra as she hit the foe with Night Shade.

"Dunno. Maybe the ones here are different?" Carys responded as she dodged another Hidden Power.

"Hm." Was all Ezra said before she KO'd it with Hex.

**10F**

"Whee, Stairs! Broken, but Stairs are Stairs!" Carys beamed, nodding at the crumbling set of gray stone Stairs.

**11F**

Whilst wandering down a crumbling hall and into a chamber, they came across a Violent Seed. Ezra's eyes lit up. If she ate a Violent Seed...No, wait, that was still a problem. Even if Ezra had every single one of her stats maxed out, there was still the conundrum of actually _hitting _Formora. The cold woman was bound to use Hail, so she'd be near impossible to hit. Ezra's spirits sank. Nope, she was still dead.

However, the seed was incredibly useful, so Ezra ate an apple in order to make room for it.

**12F**

There was a Flygon with them in their spawn chamber. The cocky thing started off the fight with Hyper Beam. It created an orange ball in front of its mouth, and shot a bright orange beam at them. Even though they were largely immune to normal-type attacks, they had no desire to be caught in the powerful beam. So they jumped. And the attack missed. And the Flygon paused, recharging.

They immediately took advantage of this and pummeled it with Razor Leaf and Hex.

The Flygon recovered, and knocked them both away with Dragon Claw. Ezra landed on the ground with a _crash_, causing the floor beneath her to shatter. Thankfully, the floor still held. Now, the Flygon began letting out a great Uproar, causing the duo to cringe in pain.

"STOP IT!" Ezra howled after a moment of enduring this agony. She threw a Night Shade at the flying foe, and thankfully it shut up in order to dodge. Carys instantly nailed it with Razor Leaf.

The Mystic Pokemon flew at Carys, elongating its claws into Dragon Claw. Ezra took steady aim, and managed to knock out the foe with Hex, right when it was inches away from Carys' face.

"Aha, aha, that was scary…" Carys laughed nervously before continuing.

**13F**

**Weather Condition: Sand**

Ezra frowned. There was a sandstorm going on. She did not like sandstorms. There were Stairs with her, however. She was thankful for that.

**14F**

At least there wasn't a sandstorm on this floor. She sighed as she headed for the set of Stairs that were with her. ¼ of the way through, and ¼ of the way until she died a horrible death. Wonderful.

**15F**

They found an Electivire and Chandelure in a chamber. Ezra headed for the Chandelure while Carys decided to tangle with the Electivire.

The Chandelure had its back turned to Ezra, so she stealthily snuck up on it and nailed it with Hex. It turned around and flung a Hex right back at her. The Nether Globe flew at what almost looked like the speed of sound in order to protect her from the attack, but it protected her all the same. The Chandelure hummed as it processed this new information.

"I'm better than you." Ezra told it as she launched a Night Shade at it. An electric shock coursed through her, dashing her to the ground.

"Hey! What the…?" She said as she turned to face Carys and Electivire.

"Sorry! It used Discharge." Carys called at her before taking a Thunder Punch to the gut. Ezra winced as Carys sailed through the air.

"I'll help you in one sec!" She called to her friend before dodging the Chandelure's Smog. She had noticed that it was slowly sneaking up on her.

"Nice try." Ezra said before blasting it with a quick succession of two Hexes. Her foe fell, and she turned to hit the Electivire with Flame Burst. It faced her, and promptly Screeched at her. She covered her ears, getting rather tired of noisy moves.

Luckily, though, it was cut short as Carys KO'd it with a Shadow Ball from across the room.

"Hmph. Idiot." Carys snorted at it.

**16F**

"What's our battle plan for Team Renegade?" Carys was asking as they were exploring. Ezra felt a brief panic seize her. She didn't want to be having this conversation!

"Ah...I don't know. I haven't been thinking about it." She said truthfully. She'd been obsessing over the _outcome _of the battle, not the actual details.

"Well, I can hold off Kialandi and Firnen. I'll just summon candy and confuse them, then hit 'em while they're down! Formora's your foe, so I'll leave her to you. Don't forget we have all these seeds at our disposal." Carys said thoughtfully. Ezra sighed.

"She'll definitely try to use Hail, so I'll have to stop her somehow...I can try to use Inferno on her...The Nether Globe will protect me from Shadow Ball, so all I have to worry about is her ice-type moves. Luckily those don't do much to me, but they _do_ hurt you." Ezra frowned. Formora's Blizzard would definitely be a problem…

"I think she'll be so focused on you, she'll forget about me." Carys responded.

"Maybe. And I do have the Encourage Seed and Violent Seed." Ezra sighed. She knew it was no use. Team Renegade never used items of their own, and they had thoroughly beaten Team Banshee during their last three encounters. Items or no, she would still be the Light's Failure.

"Yep! See, we got this!" Carys beamed.

Ezra stayed silent.

**17F**

They found an Accelgor in a chamber. It began the fight by draining Ezra's energy with Giga Drain. She raised an eyebrow. Grass-type moves did nothing to her. She punished it with Flame Burst, and Carys quickly joined in with a rapid Confuse Ray.

Now confused, the Accelgor tried to use U-Turn, but ended up going in the opposite way. It was all too easy to chase it down and defeat it with a Night-Leaf combo.

**18F**

Water had begun to appear on this floor. It looked rather brackish and stale. Even the water was reflecting Arceus' health.

"There's the Stairs." Carys nodded, eating an apple.

Ezra grimaced. Getting closer...

**19F**

A Porygon-Z and Unown S were blocking their way in a hall. This time, Carys phased into the walls. Ezra began with Flame Burst, but the Porygon-Z dodged, and launched a red, blue, and yellow beam at her.

As she was hit, she felt as if she were being burned, electrocuted, and frozen at the same time. That must be Tri Attack. She scowled as she picked herself up, and deftly threw another Flame Burst at it. This time, it collided with her foe, and Carys quickly followed suit with Razor Leaf.

The Porygon-Z recovered and aimed a target at Ezra, Locking On to her. Before it could unleash whatever attack it wanted to, Carys hit it with Confuse Ray.

Leaving Ezra to play clean-up, Carys turned to the Unown.

It took Ezra one more Flame Burst in order to defeat the Porygon-Z.

"Why don't you use Inferno?" Asked Carys as she hit the Unown with Shadow Ball.

"I've been trying, but for some reason I can't get it to work." Ezra responded, helping Carys by ramming into the Unown.

"How'd you get it to work when we were fighting Giratina?"

"I don't know. When I first used it, I was furious. The second time I used it, it just felt...right. We had finally turned the tide, and we now stood a chance of winning. I was happy, hopeful." There! One last Night Shade, and Unown went down.

"Hmm...maybe your Inferno is tied to emotion?" Carys speculated as she entered the hall.

"Perhaps. I don't know." Ezra shrugged, suddenly feeling very tired. She didn't care much for her new move, not if she couldn't get it to work. All her other moves worked just fine; why did this one have to have strings attached?

**20F**

They had the misfortune to spawn with a Flygon and Sableye. Since the Flygon was part ground-type, Carys went off to tangle with it, leaving Ezra with the Sableye.

She started off by throwing a Flame Burst at it, but the wily foe leaped high into the air and formed a Shadow Ball in front of it. It tossed the shadowy orb at Ezra, who stood back and let the Nether Globe shield her. She retaliated with a successful Flame Burst which sent the Sableye packing. As it flew, she turned for a quick Night Shade at the Flygon, who was giving Carys some difficulty. Carys flashed her a grateful grin before bringing its attention back to her with Razor Leaf.

Meanwhile, Ezra felt something hard slam into her. She turned just in time to see the Sableye jump back after hitting her with a regular attack. The ghost/dark-type began giving her a Mean Look, paralyzing her to the bone with fear. She couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried.

Now that she was trapped, the Sableye could do whatever it wanted to her. And it did. It backhanded her cruelly with its Foul Play. She was so immobilized, she couldn't even open her mouth to cry out. She could only endure, and hope that it would end soon.

"Stop hurting Ezzie!" Carys' voice stormed nearby as a Razor Leaf came flying from the left and onto the Sableye.

The Sableye blanched at the attack and threw a Shadow Ball at what must be the out-of-sight Carys. Ezra heard the Nether Globe activate, and presently she could move again. She faced Carys, who looked badly bruised but still putting up a fight. The Flygon was nowhere to be seen.

The Sableye dove at Carys, intending to Quash her, but Ezra intervened with Flame Burst, causing the foe to be thrust off-course, towards the wall. Carys finished it off with Razor Leaf, and just like that they were temporarily free of enemies.

"Whew. That was tough." Carys said, shaking sweat off her brow.

"Need an Oran Berry?" Ezra offered. Carys shook her head.

"Nah. Save 'em for the top."

Ezra flinched.

**21F**

Ezra looked angrily up at the ceiling. Water was dripping down from a crack above her and onto her flame, causing it to hiss menacingly.

"Stairs!" Carys called, not noticing Ezra's annoyance. Ezra sighed, and followed.

**22F**

"Do you think we'll run out of apples?" Asked Carys after they had spawned.

"I dunno. Maybe." Ezra shrugged.

"Hm. Well, there are a lot of good things in here; it's such a shame to have to ignore them because of space issues. Should we eat all the berries we find, in order to have some more room for seeds?" Carys suggested.

"We can." Ezra replied. Carys nodded.

"Sounds good."

**23F**

Two more floors. Two more floors until the waypoint, After that...then what? Would she flee, running away from her destiny? Or would she somehow manage to find the courage to go on?

She didn't know what she'd do.

**24F**

**Weather Condition: Cloudy**

In this cloudy hall, the duo and a Gigalith found each other. The Gigalith helpfully used Sandstorm,

**Weather Condition: Sand**

and thus, the clouds were lifted. Ezra preferred the clouds, actually. She ducked into a wall, and let Carys Razor Leaf the foe for its mistake.

The Gigalith responded with Stone Edge, telekinetically holding parts of the cracked ceiling up in the air. If they walked under the stones, they'd get an unwelcome surprise. No matter. There was a very easy way to avoid this.

Ezra and Carys quickly defeated it with Razor Leaf and Hex, then Carys jumped in the wall too. Together, they wall-traveled past the pointed stones, then once they were out of range, walked back into the dungeon proper. Too easy.

**25F**

It was the last floor before the waypoint. Ezra was starting to panic. Flee, or not to flee? That was the question. Honestly, she felt like crying. She didn't ask for any of this! She didn't ask to sacrifice herself in vain!

As she walked through a chamber, she paused suddenly, causing Carys to bump into her. She stared at the floor in front of her. She had the strangest feeling…

"Look, " Ezra said tiredly. "I'm _really_ not in the mood today. Could you like...leave me alone, just this once? If I get out of this alive, you can hit me as frequently as you want. Okay?"

She stepped on the spot in front of her, and the floor gave way to reveal a Warp Trap. But, Ezra was not teleported.

The universe, it seemed, had decided to take pity on her.

—**Waypoint—**

She did it. She had finally made it to the waypoint. Now she had to choose whether to flee, or continue.

As Carys went to touch the Kangaskhan statue, Ezra gazed sullenly around the room. The walls had changed to smooth white stone that glimmered. Water lined the east and west sides of the chamber. The floor was now made of dark gray bricks, with gemstones embedded here and there. These gemstones, like the ones outside, shifted colors constantly, going from red to purple to grass-green and so on. To be honest, it was kinda distracting. The sickly-sweet smell was much stronger here, to, making Ezra feel nauseous. And of course, the entire room was covered in fractures. Ezra felt herself become utterly paralyzed with terror.

"Okay! We're all set. Should we rest a few minutes, or do you want to move on?" Carys asked, coming over to float near Ezra.

"I...can't do it…" Ezra managed to whisper.

"Do what?"

"_I CAN'T DO THIS! I _**CAN'T**_!_" Ezra screamed, feeling tears coming to her eye.

"I'm not strong enough. I can't kill someone. I _can't_. I'm going to fail. I'm going to fail and everyone's going to die because of me." Ezra whispered, tears trickling down her face.

Carys stared in shock.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She demanded, more concerned than angry.

"I don't know...I just...didn't want you to worry, I guess…" Ezra said tiredly, wiping her eye. Speaking about this was oddly liberating, though exhausting. She felt like she could sleep for a century.

"Oh, Ez…" Carys sighed, coming in close to nuzzle Ezra. "Why do you think you're going to lose?"

"I _know_ I am. Formora's beaten me during our last three encounters with her. She's stronger than me, plus she has a _knife_. And you know I'm not a murderer, not like her. I just don't see how I can kill her. I know I have to, but...I can't take a life." Ezra spilled out, looking tearfully up and Carys. Her eye was starting to itch from the salt in her tears.

Carys was silent for a minute.

"Do you remember the day we met, when we fought Team Renegade?" She finally asked. Ezra nodded.

"I had thought all was lost, that we weren't going to save that Shiny Chikorita. But then you told me not to give up, not till the very end. You taught me to keep on going, no matter how hard it gets. And just yesterday, when we were fighting Giratina with the legendaries. _They_ were about to throw in the towel, but you convinced them not to. You convinced _legendaries, _Ezra. You told them it wasn't over yet. And Giratina noticed. He saw the power you have inside you." Carys went on.

"And that is...?"

"The ability to convince others not to give up. In other words, giving others hope. All throughout our adventures together, you've kept giving your gift to others. It's a powerful tool you have there." Carys explained. Ezra sighed.

"How can hope defeat Formora?" She asked dully, wiping her itching eye.

"You can believe in yourself, like I do, for one." Carys frowned. "We have the Nether Globe, so all you have to worry about is her ice-type moves, which you're resistant against. We didn't have the Nether Globe during our last three battles with her. Besides, even with Snow Cloak, she can't keep dodging forever. She has to make herself vulnerable in order to attack. Besides, with your Encourage Seed, your moves will always hit and have a boosted chance of critical hits! Combine that with the Violent Seed, and you've got yourself one helluva combo!" Carys laughed. Then she grew serious.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you made a promise to Arceus that you would rescue it. And here you are, about to do just that! Are you really going to turn and flee, when you've come this far? Are you going to turn your back on the one Pokemon who needs your help the most? You're not even going to try?"

Ezra thought about that. She knew she couldn't up and abandon anyone, especially if they needed assistance. It was truly a cowardly move to give up before she had even started. And she was no coward. And true, eating the Encourage Seed and Violent Seed would give her a great advantage...Maybe Carys was right. Maybe she did have a chance after all...

"But I still have to kill her." She found herself saying.

"Not necessarily. Remember, the prophecy states that one of you would _die_. It didn't say by the hands of the other. Maybe Formora will accidentally fall off the edge of the tower or something." Carys persuaded.

"Why does she have to _die, _though?" Ezra persisted. Carys looked at her sadly.

"Be honest with yourself, Ez: you've seen how Formora is. Even her own teammates and allies don't like her anymore. Would the world be a better place if she wasn't there anymore?" Carys asked.

Ezra knew the answer, and didn't say anything. Carys nodded.

"But...can't we just lock her up forever or something?" Ezra said desperately.

"That's no way to live, Ez, and you know it." Carys shook her head firmly. Ezra sighed.

"I guess. I just..._really _wish it didn't have to be this way."

"So you're going on?" Carys asked.

"Yeah...yeah...I made a promise to Arceus that I'd come and save It. I couldn't live with myself if I failed It." Ezra nodded, looking warily at the path leading forward.

"...Come on. Let's go, before I change my mind." She said, walking to the path.

"I believe in you, Ezra." She heard Carys' approving voice behind her as they entered the second half of Celestial Spire.

**Upper Celestial Spire ( watch?v=VC_6CjQVW6w)**

**1F**

Talking about her fears with Carys had done her some good. Her mind felt freer, now that it no longer had a burden to bear. She was still scared, plenty scared, but she was determined to at least try to save Arceus. If she died, she wouldn't have to worry about what would happen to her friends. Carys was right; they now had a serious advantage over Team Renegade. The latter would find to their shock that the duo were no longer pushovers.

Ezra smiled. If Team Renegade had thought they were going to win, well…They'd get another thing coming to them.

The area looked exactly the same as it had in the waypoint, albeit there was no water lining the edges. That would probably start to occur at a later floor.

"Halfway there, and still going strong. Think you can do this?" Carys asked, coming to float next to her. Ezra nodded.

"Yes...I think I can." She was surprised to hear the certainty in her voice.

Courageously, the Champion and her best friend set forth, bringing them ever-closer to their destiny.

**2F**

To their surprise, a Roserade was with them when they spawned.

"Roserades weren't in the first half…" Ezra said, confused.

"Maybe there are new Pokemon here?" Carys suggested as she threw a Shadow Ball at the flowery foe. It danced out of the way, and shot Poison Stings from its hands and onto them. It followed up with Magical Leaf, but Ezra recovered and used Flame Burst.

The volley of fire burned the leaves to a crisp and hit the Roserade, sending it a few feet back. Carys added her Shadow Ball to the mix.

The Roserade shook its head, and released a Sweet Scent. Ezra ignored this, and promptly KO'd the foe with a critically-struck Flame Burst.

"I wonder what other new Pokemon are here." She commented.

"Let's go and find out." Carys grinned.

**3F**

**Weather Condition: Fog**

It was foggy. Ezra could hardly see a thing.

"Ugh! We're gonna have a great time bumping into things." Carys stormed as Ezra cautiously picked her way forward. A thud and an "Ouch!" from Carys made her turn.

"Oh. Hey. Bumped into the Stairs. Huh." Carys' voice came from nearby.

**4F**

They ran into a Sableye and blue Florges in a hall. Carys jumped into the wall so she could deal with the Florges. Ezra's fire-type attacks wouldn't do much against the flowery foe.

Ezra began to kick off the fight with Flame Burst, but before she could do so, she was painfully Quashed by the Sableye. She dazedly took a few steps back, seeing stars. She shook her head clear and launched her Flame Burst. The attack missed, and the Sableye dove at her for a regular attack. Ezra nimbly side-stepped out of the way, and as it sailed past her, she rapped it smartly with a Hex to the back for its troubles.

The foe crashed onto the ground, creating a large crack. Ezra scowled and prepared a Flame Burst. Just as she was about to launch the attack, the Sableye surprised her with a rapid Foul Play. She was backhanded right into the Florges, who was trying desperately to hit Carys with Moonblast. Ezra sent the Florges crashing to the ground.

She quickly got back up, hitting the Florges with a swift Flame Burst as she did so. She heard Carys shoot a Razor Leaf behind her, and a cry from Florges as she raced back to the Sableye. It dodged her regular attack by leaping high into the air. It formed a Shadow Ball, and threw the orb straight down upon her head. Or, it would have, had the Nether Globe not been doing its job. The Shadow Ball disintegrated upon contact with the purple dome, and Ezra threw a Night Shade back at the foe.

The Sableye dodged the red waves of energy, but failed to notice Carys in the wall behind it. Carys sent it packing with a Razor Leaf from behind, and as the startled foe soared right at Ezra, the Litwick promptly defeated it with a critically-struck Flame Burst.

Carys came out from the wall, and the two set off.

**5F**

Another new Pokemon that could be found in the upper reaches was Meganium. The duo came across a sleeping one as they entered a chamber. Ezra, upon impulse, decided she would wake the foe up with Flame Burst.

She did so, and the Meganium woke up with a yelp, searching frantically for whatever had hit it. Carys quickly followed up with Shadow Ball, and at last the Meganium found its attackers.

It began emitting a Sweet Scent from the flower around its neck that made Ezra smile stupidly and lowered her evasiveness. Carys felt the same way.

Now that it had its enemies' guards lowered, the Meganium went on the offensive with Body Slam. It jumped high into the air and came crashing down on top of Carys, flattening her into a Pumpkaboo pancake before she filled out again. Carys became paralyzed from the blow.

"Bad!" Ezra exclaimed at it before throwing a Flame Burst at it. It jumped out of the way, and shot petals at her.

She dodged the whirlwind of petals—so this was what Petal Dance looked like—and quickly fired another Flame Burst at the enemy. It could not dodge this time, and subsequently fell.

Carys recovered a few moments later.

"And you don't like it when _I_ wake up the sleeping enemies." She frowned. Ezra grinned at her before continuing onwards.

**6F**

They entered a chamber, and found a Kecleon Shop. The shopkeeper only had Wonder Orbs and evolutionary stones for sale, unfortunately. Nothing they would need for the upcoming final battle.

"See anything you like?" He asked hopefully as they inspected his wares. Ezra sighed and shook her head.

"Not this time. But perhaps another day, friend." She said solemnly as they bid him adieu.

"Good luck at the top." He called after them.

How did he know what they were here for?

**7F**

"Here are the Stairs." Carys observed.

**8F**

**Weather Condition: Hail**

They had the misfortune to spawn with a Togekiss, Seviper, and an Omastar. Oh boy.

Ezra quickly obtained the attention of the Togekiss and Seviper by using a quick succession of Night Shade on the Togekiss and Hex on the Seviper. Both enemies whirled around to face her, then charged.

She jumped into the air, avoiding the Seviper's Crunch. She sent a quick Flame Burst down on its head, and the volley spread to hit the Togekiss and Omastar, the latter of which was busy fighting Carys nearby. The rock/water-type turned to face Ezra, but Carys diverted its attention back to her with Razor Leaf.

As Ezra began to fall, she was cruelly hit by the Togekiss' Sky Attack as it came barreling towards her. She flew through the air until she collided with the far wall, creating quite the dent in the already-shattered wall. Somehow, though, the wall still held together by the skin of its teeth. Er...structure. Whatever.

Foreseeing a headache in the near future, Ezra stood slowly back up, wincing as hail hit her. To her right, she saw Carys take a brief moment to use Confuse Ray on the Togekiss before facing the Omastar again.

The Togekiss wandered around dazedly, flinching whenever hail hit it. The Seviper, meanwhile, was busy Coiling itself tightly, raising its attack, defense, and accuracy. It sprang for her again, intending to Crunch her cruelly.

She dodged its attack, and retaliated with Hex. Her serpentine foe immediately caught her in its mouth, and this time she could not evade its Crunch. Ezra screamed in agony as its long fangs pierced her skull. It spat her out, and she gingerly touched the puncture wounds. This time, something hot and sticky clung to her hands. She looked at them, and discovered in shock that it was red _wax_ on her hands.

Huh. So apparently she bled liquid wax. Who knew?

She felt herself getting woozy. Although she apparently didn't have blood, this was her _life's essence_ here on her fingers. It was pouring out of her head, and soon she'd have no more…

Then a hailstone _bonked_ her right on the noggin, bringing her back to her senses. She wiped off her blood-wax and dove back into the fight. While she'd been lost in her own thoughts, it seemed Carys had defeated the Omastar and was currently tangling with the not-confused Togekiss. Carys threw a Shadow Ball—and it was down, leaving only one.

Ezra turned back to the Seviper just in time to get caught in Wring Out. The foe squeezed her until she felt like her ribs would snap in half, then released her. She lay there, gasping for breath. Black spots were beginning to dance on the edges of her vision. It was very difficult getting back up.

Somehow she managed, and she threw a weak Night Shade at the Seviper. It easily dodged, and started to come slithering at her.

Then Carys was in front of her, tossing a Shadow Ball at the serpentine Pokemon. It balked at this unexpected development, and a follow-up of Razor Leaf ensured that Ezra was safe again for now.

"You okay?" Carys asked concernedly, rummaging in their bag for an Oran Berry. Ezra tiredly waved her off, flinching when a hailstone hit her.

"Yeah, yeah. Just need a minute. You lead. I'll be fine." Ezra said, not wanting to waste a berry.

**9F**

Ezra and Carys were walking alongside the southern wall of a room. The middle of said room held a _very _large, spider web-like crack, and the duo were worried that Ezra's weight on the fracture would cause the floor to come crashing down. They were handing out by the walls just to be safe.

Suddenly, the floor below Ezra gave way, revealing Stairs to the Secret Bazaar. The two looked at each other and shrugged. Free trip to the next floor, at least.

They entered.

"Welcome to the Secret Bazaar!" Kirlia's ever-cheerful voice called out to them as they arrived.

Ezra looked over to Shedinja's booth, who offered a way out of the dungeon for 100 Poke. Before, she'd have had seriously considered doing just that. But now…

After seeing the desolation of this dungeon, knowing that it reflected the health of the Original One Itself, who was trusting in Ezra to save It and Its world, Ezra found herself reluctant to leave. True, she was afraid she would die, but Carys was right; she had a very good chance at living now. They had the Nether Globe, the Violent Seed, and the Encourage Seed with them. She didn't see how she couldn't win.

No, she had to move on. Arceus was counting on them, and she wasn't the type to let someone down.

She'd see this thing through, one way or another.

She turned to the Stairs leading to the next floor.

"Ready to go?" She asked Carys, who nodded.

"Good luck, Ezra and Carys." Kirlia called after them as they ascended.

How did she know…?

**10F**

There was an Electivire blocking their way in a hall. Ezra jumped in a wall, preferring not to get electrocuted by Discharge. Carys grinned, and promptly dove in the wall too, to Ezra's surprise and delight.

Now all the Electivire could do was either tank their attacks or flee. It chose to flee.

Laughing, the duo kept pace with the Electivire as it ran, hitting it with Flame Burst, then Trick-or-Treat, Hex, and finally Shadow Ball.

They returned to the actual dungeon, pleased with this new tactic.

**11F**

"Ooh. Stairs." Carys breathed. Ezra gulped. Almost ¾ of the way through...

**12F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

Ezra led Carys into a chamber that was still relatively intact, where she found a lime green ribbon.

"A Fickle Ribbon, right?" Ezra asked, turning to Carys the Item Expert, who nodded thoughtfully.

"Using different moves boosts your critical-hit rate. Hmm...Maybe I should wear that instead." The Pumpkaboo mused.

"You won't need a Pecha Scarf for the final showdown." Observed Ezra. Carys nodded.

"Excellent point. Alright, bye-bye, Pecha Scarf!"

Ezra helped Carys take off the Pecha Scarf, and tied the Fickle Ribbon around her neck.

"Feel any different?" Asked Ezra, watching Carys inspect her new held item.

"Not really. But then again, I always feel the same, no matter what I'm wearing. Okay, I'm ready. Farewell, Pecha Scarf! You served me well." Carys nodded, turning back to Ezra.

They moved on.

**13F**

Ezra and Carys entered a chamber, where she saw an Omastar do the exact same thing. Carys quickly stood beside her as the fight commenced.

Carys launched her Razor Leaf at the ancient foe, but it Protected itself by summoning a green dome of energy in front of it. The attack disintegrated upon contact. It took down the shield and began projecting multiple white spikes at Ezra, who took the weak attack without flinching. She could easily endure a Spike Cannon.

While the attack was still occurring, Ezra threw a Flame Burst that shot right through the rest of the spikes, burning them all to a crisp, and landed on the enemy. It hissed but otherwise seemed unhurt. Carys began to send out another Razor Leaf, but before she could do so, the Omastar barreled into her and began Tickling her with its tentacles, lowering both her attack and defense.

Carys began laughing uncontrollably.

"Heehee! Stop that! Haha!" She giggled.

Ezra came to her rescue with a Hex that pummeled the Omastar away from Carys.

"Ha...aha...Thanks." Carys wheezed as she finally nailed it with Razor Leaf.

The Omastar recoiled from the power of the move, and began summoning an Ancient Power. Chunks of the floor were lifted from the ground, and thrown telekinetically at Ezra, who dove out of the way, not wanting to be hit by that awful attack.

Carys ended the fight with one last Razor Leaf.

**14F**

They had spawned with both the Stairs and a Meganium. Luckily, the Meganium was sleeping well away from the crumbling Stairs.

**15F**

Team Banshee spawned right next to a wall lined with water. This was a very good thing, because they had also spawned with a

**Monster House!**

Two Meganiums, three Electivires, a Chandelure, two Florges, five Omastars, a Sableye, a Roserade, two Blazikens, and a Porygon-Z fell from the ceiling and locked onto the duo. The duo took one look and noped the hell out of there.

They dove into the wall next to them, and hightailed it away from that chamber. They ran and ran, pausing only to eat an apple each. Eventually, once they were sure they had eluded the 18 enemies.

Only then did they venture out of the safe, safe wall.

**16F**

Instead of a Warp Trap, Ezra triggered a Chestnut Trap as she walked down the eastern side of a very large room.

"Ouch! Ah! Ow!" She muttered as the chestnuts fell on her head. When the barrage was over, she felt a lump growing on her cranium.

"You know, a Chestnut Trap was the very first trap we encountered." Reminisced Carys nearby. Ezra only groaned, and continued.

**17F**

They spawned in with a Florges and Unown A. Carys went to deal with the Florges.

Ezra prepared to hit the Unown with Night Shade, but suddenly and unexpectedly the terrain below her began turning misty. She turned to see the Florges change the Terrain into a Misty one. Since she wasn't affected by it, she turned back to the Unown, just in time to get hit by an Hidden Power.

It felt like multiple bug Pokemon were stinging her. Annoying, but not particularly harmful.

"Bug-type. Be careful." She called to Carys over her shoulder before sending the red waves of energy that was Night Shade at the Unown. It recoiled, and tossed another Hidden Power at her.

Ezra dodged, and threw a Hex back at it. The A-shaped Pokemon flew low to dodge, but it was too slow to evade Ezra's follow-up Night Shade.

"Beep!" It wailed as it was hit.

"Hah! I _knew_ you guys could talk!" Gloated Ezra before finishing it with Hex.

She turned to help Carys with the Florges, and quickly sent out a Flame Burst at the flowery foe. It fell and did not get back up again. It seemed Ezra was just in time.

"Thief." Carys muttered half-jokingly at Ezra, who flashed the former a grin.

**18F**

**Weather Condition: Cloudy**

The duo found a Roserade and Chandelure wandering in the same hallway they were wandering in. Ezra let Carys duck into the wall in order to fight the Chandelure from a relatively safe distance.

But, to their astonishment, the Chandelure _followed_ Carys into the wall!

Ezra cursed under her breath. Of course it could do that; Chandelure was a fire/ghost-type! Arceus, she was stupid sometimes. She dove into the wall as well, abandoning the Roserade.

Now the Chandelure was sandwiched in between the duo. Naturally, it decided to go for Carys, who had the type disadvantage.

It sent out two twirling lights at Carys, whose eyes became glassy with confusion. Ezra attempted to get the foe's attention with Hex, but the Chandelure ignored her and focused on hitting Carys.

It created a Shadow Ball and threw it at the Pumpkaboo, but the Nether Globe quickly stopped the attack from landing. Not dissuaded in the slightest, the Chandelure then began spewing toxic Smog all around Carys.

Carys began coughing as she breathed in the fumes, and Ezra saw her face began to turn green. Great, now Carys was poisoned.

Ezra hit the Chandelure once more with Hex, and the larger enemy responded by sending a volley of Flame Burst down on Carys. The backlash from the attack actually arced over the Chandelure's head and down upon Ezra. Her flame grew in size, thanks to her Flash Fire.

The Chandelure began preparing one last Flame Burst, but Ezra quickly cut it down with a final Hex. Carys snapped out of confusion a few seconds later.

"Oh...what happened…?" She asked thickly, looking ill. Ezra swiftly gave her a Pecha Berry and Oran Berry.

"You were poisoned, but I took care of the Chandelure. Where's the Roserade?" Ezra asked, looking around. The Roserade was nowhere to be seen.

"I guess it went off." Replied Carys, looking better now that she had eaten the poison-healing berry. She refused the Oran Berry, though.

"Seems so. Oh well, that's okay." Ezra shrugged as they both ate an apple and moved on.

**19F**

As they were walking through a room, Ezra triggered a Trip Trap. As she flailed around before hitting the ground, her hand struck the orbiting Nether Globe, causing it to deactivate and clatter to the ground.

"Mmph! Stupid trap." Ezra glared at the trap before getting back up. She walked over to the fallen Globe, and tapped it. Instantly, it animated, and resumed its happy orbit around the duo.

"At least you got it back this time." Observed Carys.

Ezra sighed, remembering a past adventure where she had struck a Trip Trap, then immediately a Pitfall Trap, losing her held item. That had been...a month ago? Maybe? Hm, time flew.

"Yeah. No Pitfall Traps for me!" Ezra responded, hugging the Nether Globe tightly.

**20F**

They encountered a Porygon-Z in a hallway. Ezra ducked into the wall, since it knew Discharge. The foe began with Embargo, sending red chains of energy that latched onto their bag. No matter. They could defeat it without using items.

Ezra and Carys used Flame Burst and Razor Leaf at the same time, sending the Porygon-Z flying straight into the wall. A large fracture appeared as it peeled itself off.

The red and blue Pokemon sent out a red, blue, and yellow Tri Attack at Carys, who screamed when the attack struck her.

When the smoke cleared, Carys was completely encased in ice, frozen solid. Ezra scowled, and avenged her frozen friend with another Flame Burst. The foe scanned the area until its eyes fell upon her. Ezra waved tauntingly at it. The enemy attempted to hit her with a regular attack, but all it succeeded in doing was collide with the wall she was in.

The Porygon-Z fell away, stunned.

Ezra tried to call up Inferno. She felt power surge through her, once again heading for her flame—but once it was about to reach it, something snapped and the power slumped back into her veins, refusing to appear again. She scowled. _Why _wasn't it working?! _Why_ was she having so much trouble in charging this attack?!

Questions for later. Right now, she had a foe to defeat. One last Flame Burst (at least _that_ attack was reliable) and the foe was gone. A few moments later, Carys thawed out.

"Ooooh, n-now I kn-kn-know what a p-popsicle feels l-l-like." Carys shivered.

**21F**

"Almost there." Carys said encouragingly as she headed for the Stairs, which had spawned with them. Ezra nodded wearily. She was just ready to get this over and done with already.

**22F**

They spawned with a Togekiss and Accelgor. Carys blanched, as she was weak to both these two foes. But she readily stepped up to fight all the same.

Ezra started off with Flame Burst, which hit the Togekiss but not the evasive Accelgor. Carys proceeded to take the Accelgor Trick-or-Treating, and the latter decided to target Carys for that. It started to rush at her with U-Turn, but Ezra stopped it in its tracks with a powerful Flame Burst. Then the Togekiss became a blur, and a second later Ezra felt its Extreme Speed crash into her. She bowled over, catching herself before she hit the ground.

She got back up and observed Carys successfully use Confuse Ray on the Accelgor, leaving them free to handle the flighty Togekiss.

The Togekiss charged a blue ball of energy in front of it. Ezra recognized this attack as Aura Sphere, having dealt with the move in the past. The foe launched this attack at Ezra, who responded with Flame Burst. The two attacks hit each other, creating a small explosion that sent smoke flying everywhere.

Carys and Ezra quickly sent a Shadow-Burst combo at the spot they last saw the Togekiss at, then swiftly jumped away. This was a smart move, as three seconds later the Togekiss came barreling at their previous location with Sky Attack. The smoke cleared, and the duo used the same combo to hit the Togekiss as it soared back towards them. The Togekiss started to falter, but stabilized itself and churned hard gusts of wind that formed an Air Slash. It launched the blow at them, but they nimbly side-stepped out of the way, and KO'd it with Razor Leaf and Night Shade.

One down, one to go.

They turned back to the Accelgor, who had snapped out of its confusion and was currently using Recover.

When the healing move ended, they surprised it with Shadow Ball and Flame Burst. Shaking angrily, the Accelgor sped for Carys, and the Pumpkaboo was unable to get away as she was hit by U-Turn. The Accelgor struck her, then jumped back far away from them.

Carys recovered, and sent out a Razor Leaf, more to encourage it to come closer than anything. As she and Ezra had expected, it evaded the razor-sharp leaves and ran closer to them. But, it stopped a few yards away from them and began emitting a high-pitched Bug Buzz.

Ezra covered the spot where her ears would be, scowling as she tried in vain to block out the annoying sound. She was getting _sick _and _tired_ of all these noisy attacks in this blasted dungeon!

"QUIT IT!" She eventually roared at the Accelgor, her anger causing her flame to grow.

She felt power rise to her flame, and she allowed it to, relishing in the high that it gave her. Something inside her clicked, and a bright blue orb appeared in front of her flame. She released the power, and the blue ball formed a massive blue beam of pure fire that completely enveloped the Accelgor in flames.

When the fire burned out, the Accelgor was nowhere to be seen.

Ezra fell to the floor, exhausted by the output of energy. Then she realized what had just happened.

"I just used Inferno!" She marveled, her jaw dropping open.

"You did! How?" Demanded Carys, who was looking a little singed around the edges.

"I just...wanted it to stop. I was getting tired of attacks like Bug Buzz, Uproar, Metal Sound, and Screech." Explained Ezra tiredly. A nap sounded wonderful right about now…

"Can you do it again?" Asked Carys. Ezra tried, but once again the power would not rise to her flame. Exhaustedly, she shook her head.

"Well, it was still impressive." Consoled Carys.

**23F**

"We're getting close." Carys said as they spawned. Ezra nodded solemnly. Just a couple more floors left…

"Are you ready?" Carys asked her.

"As I'll ever be. I can't exactly turn back now, can I?" Ezra responded. She glanced over at Carys. "There's still a 50/50 chance I'll die, you know."

"Yes...But I saw my own death as well if you lose, remember? I'm okay with that. I won't have to worry long about the world if the Dark wins. And besides, I'd rather we go out together, as a team. We started this journey together. It makes sense that we'd end it together." Carys smiled back.

Ezra nodded. Yes. She would much rather they die together. That way, Carys wouldn't have to grieve for her. It was very morbid thinking, but it oddly helped Ezra calm down and accept that possibility.

"...Come on. We're not done yet." Ezra said eventually, walking forward.

**24F**

**Weather Condition: Hail**

There was hail above, and a Blaziken next to them. Its back was turned, so Ezra decided to surprise it with Hex.

It jumped about three feet in fright, then whipped around, giving her a roundhouse Blaze Kick that only sent her about a foot away. She grinned wickedly as new strength coursed through her, ignoring the hail that was pelting her body.

The Blaziken blanched, realizing its mistake, and Carys took advantage by hitting it with Shadow Ball. The foe then remembered what it was doing and Focused its Energy, glaring intensely at Carys. Ezra sensed that it was about to use either Blaze Kick or Brave Bird, so she quickly tried to stop it with Hex.

The Blaziken ignored her, tucked its arms to its sides, and struck Carys with its Brave Bird, causing her to be thrown high up into the air, so high that she almost touched the ceiling.

The Blaziken gasped for breath, dealing with the aftereffects of the attack. It winced as a particularly-huge hailstone clonked it right on the head.

Ezra saw her chance, and ended it with Night Shade. Carys landed a second later, bounced a few times, then settled nearby.

The Pumpkaboo winced as she picked herself up, but rejoined Ezra.

"Almost there." She said.

"Yes…" Replied Ezra.

**25F**

Here, on this last and final floor, they had spawned with the Stairs. This last floor looked positively _new_ compared to the rest of the dungeon. The fractures in this room they were in were not as big or frequent as the ones downstairs. Speaking of, the Stairs were only beginning to fall apart as well.

Ezra didn't know what she felt. Apprehension, definitely, and other emotions she couldn't identify. For a brief moment, the old panic seized her, and she had the irrational desire to turn away, turn away from her fate forever.

But she didn't.

She had Carys by her side. There was no one else she'd rather die beside, and it was only fair that her best friend be there when she potentially saved the world.

She was ready.

Smiling, she looked at Carys, who returned the gesture.

"Beyond these Stairs lies the great unknown. Life or death, I'm ready for it. If we don't make it out, well, I have very much enjoyed these last two months with you, Carys." Ezra said, oddly formal. She could feel adrenaline begin to pulse through her.

"Same here. I'm with you till the end, Ezra. Shall we do this?" Asked Carys, sounding the same way she felt.

Ezra nodded.

"Yes. I'm ready." She replied.

Together, bracing themselves for whatever would happen next, they ascended the Stairs.

* * *

**The knowledge that you might die soon is truly a terrible burden to bear...**

**And so, our heroes have ascended the Spire, and are about to face either death or life. The final battle looms...**

**REASONS EZRA WOULD WIN: —type advantage –Nether Globe+Encourage Seed+Violent Seed –Flame Body –A little bit of an underdog –4 Reviver Seeds –other seeds and berries –has now accepted the possibility of death**

**REASONS EZRA WOULD _NOT _WIN: —can't stand the sight or thought of blood –outnumbered –Is _NOT _a killer –hesitant to physically harm another being outside of battle –Not much she can do against Snow Cloak **

**REASONS FORMORA WOULD WIN: —_definitely _willing to hurt/kill Ezra –sadist –possesses a knife –stronger than Ezra –reckless –Snow Cloak+Hail –more experience in hurting others –plays dirty –has more teammates than Ezra –is going to do _everything _she can to win**

**REASONS FORMORA WOULD _NOT_ WIN: —severe type disadvantage –quite insane –hallucinates often –as such, has traded cunning for ruthlessness –easily angered –lost most support –no longer guards weak spots **

**So, who do you think will come out victorious? And why?**

**I'm going to try and have the final battle up within a week or two. Three at the latest. See you then~**

**The last post shall contain: Destiny, and death. **


	76. Chapter 76

**Celestial Spire Pinnacle**

It was mid-afternoon by the time Ezra and Carys made it to the top of the tower. The sun was shining ever so brightly up above, but they were now higher than the clouds, which were starting to form a few yards below. This was the first sign of rain the land had seen in a week.

Despite the direness of the situation, Ezra couldn't help but be awed at the site of her Voice's abode. The floor was made of light gray bricks, surrounded by a three-foot-tall wall colored a normal shade of gray. Down below, she could see across the entire continent, even see the distant blizzards at the northernmost point of the land. She could see everything…

At the northeast, northwest, southwest, and southeast points on the circular tower, gold structures extended from the sides. These structures looked exactly like the designs extending from Arceus' torso and the Space Globe. On the east and west sides of the building, two white twenty-foot walls towered overhead, joining together in the middle to create a sort of shelter from the sun above. The top of the tower wasn't actually that badly cracked, compared the floors below. But admiring the scenery wasn't important right now.

Up ahead, at the far end of the pinnacle, lay Arceus.

It had a light gray body, with a dark gray head. Its feet ended in golden hooves, and the familiar gold ring surrounded Its torso. Green gems were embedded in this ring. It was suspended in a green sphere of antimatter about ten feet above the ground. It gave no sign whatsoever of life. Its head was bowed, and Its eyes were closed. To the upper right of Its prison was a smaller orb of antimatter, whose purpose was unknown to Ezra. All she knew was, she had to rescue It before it was too late.

She and Carys raced for the Original One. The ground was shaped like a hill; first they were running uphill, then once they reached the center of the pinnacle the floor began elevating downwards. Finally, they reached Arceus' prison.

Quickly and clumsily, Ezra fumbled around the special pack she carried for the 18 Shards. Unceremoniously, she lay all 18 down in front of Arceus.

Nothing happened.

"What?!" Ezra screeched. The last earthquake, the one that would symbolize the death of Arceus, had not occurred just yet, so It must still be alive. But the Shards were in range to be reabsorbed into Arceus' body, so why weren't they working?

"I'm afraid it's too late, Ezra." That voice, the one she had been dreading to hear, came from behind her.

Apprehensively, she turned around, and her fears were confirmed. There, standing on the top of the "hill", were Team Renegade. Formora was smiling broadly, eager for her dark task ahead. Kialandi didn't have his Vibra Scarf on, and instead held something light blue in his back arms, but he gave no sign that he had once helped Team Banshee. Using his two free front arms, he took off a bag and tossed it to the corner. Firnen began bouncing on the balls of his feet, ready for the final battle.

"Arceus is too far gone." Formora continued, gently floating over to the duo. She stopped when Carys threw a Razor Leaf at the ground in front of her in warning.

"I-I don't believe you. There's still a chance!" Ezra said. As long as she still lived, Arceus could be saved. Formora laughed harshly.

"It's just like you, to keep clinging onto the faintest shreds of hope. Hope doesn't get you anywhere! Trust me, I've tried the whole 'hope' thing before. _It doesn't work! _Only your _actions_ matter. I had to _act_ in order to escape my father, not sit around hoping one day he'd change, or that someone would rescue me." Formora said, growing increasingly angrier as she talked. Her eyes then focused on something invisible next to Ezra, and her rage intensified.

"_Shut up! You're nothing to me!" _She screamed at the invisible entity. A second later, she calmed and turned back to Ezra. "Now then...where were we?"

"I believe you were about to surrender, and _not _add me to your list of murder victims." Ezra said. Formora grinned.

"I've actually never killed anyone before. Well, not _actively, _at least. I've been _involved_ in their deaths, sure. I've gifted hemlock to Shinx, which he proceeded to administer to an unruly informant he didn't like, yes. Convinced a prisoner to commit suicide, yep. Created a situation in which five sailors drowned at sea, oh yeah." Formora continued rattling off her exploits, looking very much pleased with herself.

"You're a monster…" Ezra said faintly when she had finished.

"And all of their deaths were amazing to watch!" Formora beamed. "Anyway, the point is, I've purposely prevented myself from actively taking a life. You see, I was worried that I'd grow accustomed to the act of killing. I've been told that at first, the rush you get when you kill is _fantastic_. But after a while, it loses its charm. Sure, it's still fun, but that newness just wears off. I was afraid that if I killed a bunch of Pokemon and then killed you, Ezra, you would just be another victim. Your death wouldn't have been as special. So, I decided that _you_ would be my first victim. That way your death, my _first _murder, would hold a special place in my heart." Formora concluded with a gentle smile at Ezra. The latter was frozen in utmost horror at what she just heard.

"Now let's get on with the show, okay?" The Froslass asked, pulling her switchblade from her Froslass Bow with a _snikt._

Ezra was petrified with both fear and disgust. She couldn't seem to make her body move as Formora drew closer. Carys started to fly over to assist, but quick as a flash, Kialandi and Firnen blocked Carys' way, preventing her from helping Ezra.

Ezra still couldn't move as the smiling Formora slowly brought her blade up to Ezra's neck, an inch above her carotid artery. As the cold, bloodstained metal touched her neck, Ezra jumped, and she found she could move again. As the blade began to dig into her wax, Ezra unthinkingly knocked the knife out of Formora's hand, feeling a sharp pain in her hand as she did so.

The knife went sailing through the air, where it landed precariously on the edge of the tower. It swayed back and forth for a few seconds, then without a sound it fell harmlessly to the ground. Both Champions stared at the spot for a moment.

"My knife!" Formora howled in anguish, then Ezra quickly knocked Formora away from her with a regular attack.

As she did, a dull pain shot through her left arm. She looked at her hand, and froze in horror as bright red wax began pouring out of it. She must have cut herself on the knife as she knocked it away.

"Ah….aah…." Ezra moaned weakly, watching as her life's essence poured out of her while nausea washed over her. Luckily, the cut didn't seem too deep, and was only an inch long.

"Ooh, is someone afraid of blood? Look, Ezra look!" Formora brightened upon seeing Ezra's reaction, and she scooped up a rock and jammed it into the flap of skin underneath her left hand. Formora moved the rock downwards, and bright red blood began oozing out of her wound. Ezra remembered Formora did the exact same thing at Hidden Ruins, and she put her hands over her eye, not wanting to see anymore.

"STOP IT!" She screamed. She opened her eye to find Formora throwing the rock off the edge of the tower, laughing. She seemed not to care that her arm was bleeding.

Ezra felt her head start to spin with dizziness, and she took a step back, shying away from the sight.

"Isn't this fun?" She heard Formora ask, right before she was hit with what felt like an Ice Beam.

* * *

**Boss Battle—The Penultimate Battle (**** watch?v=IYen86m3QaI****)**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

Ezra fell over backwards, and she stuck her arms out behind her in order to catch her fall. She gasped as sharp pain shot through her arms as she landed on her hands. She looked over at Formora, and focused on the latter's injured arm. Ezra couldn't look away from the bright red liquid trailing down Formora's hand.

"It's better if you give up now, so I don't have to waste my time fighting. You know how this will end, Ezra. You know I'm much stronger than you." Formora said, licking the blood off her arm.

"Aahh…." Was all Ezra could say, still entranced by the life pouring out of her enemy's wound. Formora giggled, and held out her uninjured hand, where a dark purple ball appeared.

Somehow this snapped Ezra out of her trance, and she barely managed to scramble out of the way as the Shadow Ball impacted the spot she sat a second before.

Why wasn't the Nether Globe working?! She wildly scanned the area until she found the purple globe lying dejectedly over by the exit. Bah. It seemed the Nether Globe automatically deactivated itself once they reached the end of a dungeon. Somehow she'd need to get past Formora and reactivate it.

Her gaze slid to the right, where Firnen and Kialandi were busy tangling with Carys. The Pumpkaboo pulled no punches as she ducked, weaved, and rolled out of the mens' attacks. She dodged almost every hit, and managed to launch a few of her own, most of them unsuccessful, save for two Trick-or-Treats.

"Don't worry about them. It's _me_ you should be focusing on." Formora said impatiently, throwing another Shadow Ball at Ezra, who narrowly dodged at the last second.

"Uh...You lost your knife! How will you win now?" Ezra said, looking for a way to distract Formora. If Carys were to surprise Formora with an unexpected attack, then that might give her the chance to run to the fallen Nether Globe.

Formora smiled viciously. "True, I would have _loved _to take my sweet sweet time to carve you into a Litwick jack-o-lantern, but there are other ways I can kill you. Like bashing your head in! One of Arceus' Shards would make for a very nice blunt object to bludgeon you with. Or I can vivisect you with my bare hands. Or snap your neck or spine. Ooh, or strangulation! Yes, yes, that would be lovely. Watching as you struggle in vain, observing the life die from your eye…" Formora got a far-away glint in her eyes, and she smiled, lost in her sick fantasy.

Ezra didn't allow herself to be disgusted, for she immediately sprinted for the Nether Globe, seizing her chance against the daydreaming Formora.

"Wha—_HEY!_" The daydreamer screamed as Ezra ran past her, broken out of her fantasy.

Formora threw a Shadow Ball at Ezra, but the latter dove for the discarded Nether Globe, arms outstretched. The tip of Ezra's left arm—her wound had clotted, she noticed faintly—brushed against the sphere part of the globe, and the item lit up. It then rose into the air, where it began orbiting in a wide circle around Ezra and Carys.

"What's that…?" Kialandi paused in charging a Draco Meteor, looking confusedly at the circling globe. Firnen attempted to bat it out of the air, but the Nether Globe nimbly dodged each swipe, as if it had a mind of its own.

"It's a Nether Globe, you morons. I can't hit her with Shadow Ball anymore. I don't care, I'm still stronger than Ezra. And besides, I have a Globe of my own! Go on, Ezra, hit me!" Formora laughed, spreading her arms out in invitation.

Not sure what Formora was up to, Ezra prepared a Flame Burst, as that would hit all three Renegades. But when she launched the volley, Kialandi threw the light blue thing he held into the air. It began orbiting around the trio, occasionally colliding with the Nether Globe. When the Flame Burst had almost reached its targets, the blue thing teleported to a spot an equal distance from all three enemies. It then began generating a light blue shield around all three, causing the Flame Burst to disintegrate upon contact with the shield.

"An Icy Globe…" Sighed Carys as she surprised Firnen with a Razor Leaf. The two and Kialandi resumed their own fight.

Ezra stared at the literal snow globe. It had a snowflake-shaped base three inches thick colored light blue. The sphere part was a shade darker than than the base, and it seemed to hold an eternal blizzard inside. Ezra scowled. So, thanks to the Icy Globe, she could only use her ghost-type moves now? Great. Ah well, it wasn't like Inferno was reliable anyway.

"I had that made especially for this battle, but it seems you had a similar idea." Commented Formora as she rose high into the air, a blue aura surrounding her. Ezra instantly knew where this was going.

"No you don't!" She yelled, throwing a Hex at the rising Froslass. Formora, having the higher ground, easily dodged, and dark gray clouds inexplicably formed above, blocking out the sun's strengthening rays. Large hailstones began to gently fall, along with Formora.

**Weather Condition: Hail**

Ezra winced as a hailstone conked her on the noggin. Formora, meanwhile, wasted no time in rushing at her, barreling into Ezra with a regular attack. As Ezra began to fall backwards, her left arm was caught in Formora's killer grip, and the Froslass lifted her off the ground. Formora squeezed Ezra's arm brutally, and the latter cried out as her knife wound reopened.

Formora's sadistic grin deepened as Ezra wailed. The former held out her right hand, and momentarily Ezra was blasted in the face with an Ice Beam. She felt ice encase her completely, preventing her from moving at all. Only then did Formora drop the Ezra-ice-cube.

The frozen Ezra fell to the ground with a _thud, _causing a small fracture to appear in the floor. No longer hindered by Ezra, Formora smiled evilly at her, then turned to help her teammates against Carys, who seemed to be holding her own.

At least, she _was_, until Formora pummeled her with Blizzard. Carys must have taken a couple hits before, because a white beam shone down upon Carys, indicating that a Reviver Seed had been used.

When Carys returned, she scowled at having to deal with a third foe.

Meanwhile, Ezra was doing everything she could to get the ice surrounding her to melt. She willed her flame to grow hotter, to melt away the ice imprisoning it. It eagerly obeyed, always desiring to scorch and singe. It took a few minutes, but eventually Ezra thawed out.

The first thing the newly-thawed Ezra did was hit Formora with Night Shade in order to draw her attention back to Ezra. Carys was struggling heavily with dealing three foes, but flashed Ezra a grateful grin when the enraged Formora flew at Ezra with a regular attack.

Ezra side-stepped, and quickly shot off another Night Shade at Kialandi, not looking to see if it hit. Formora turned around, preparing for another attack. Ezra flinched as another hailstone hit her. Formora started edging to the right, so Ezra started moving to the left, facing against Carys, Kialandi, and Firnen.

So naturally, Ezra was surprised when she was KO'd by Firnen's Guillotine from behind. But when she revived, Formora savagely backhanded Firnen, then grabbed him by his throat, pulling him close until he was centimeters away from Formora's face.

"Ezra is _**MINE**__! Do you understand me?!_" She roared in utmost fury. Firnen quailed underneath Formora's gaze, and nodded timidly. Formora said nothing, only tightened her grip on Firnen's windpipe. The Fraxure let out rasping, choked gasps.

"Ah! I'm ***cough*** s-sorry, Mi***cough***lady! W-Won't ***coughcough*** happen ***cough* **again!" He choked out.

"You're choking him, Milady!" Kialandi cried out in horror. Formora released Firnen, and he staggered backwards, clutching his throat and wheezing pitifully.

"I barely touched you. Get over it." Formora said coldly, watching him gasp for breath. Shaken, Firnen backed away, towards Carys and Kialandi. Everyone stared at Formora in horror.

"What are you all standing around for?! Are you going to kill the Pumpkaboo, or do I have to do _everything_?!" Snapped Formora. Very much reluctantly, Kialandi and Firnen half-heartedly resumed fighting Carys, who was still frozen in fear.

And so was Ezra, for that matter.

"Fight harder! _Or have you two turn traitor against me?_" Formora said in a low, quiet voice that indicated her teammates hadn't seen the least of her rage. Kia and Firnen flinched violently, then they began rapidly firing off attacks at Carys, no doubt in the hopes that this would placate their mistress.

Once Formora was satisfied with them, she turned back to Ezra, who hardly had time to blink before she was hit with her foe's Blizzard. Ezra stumbled backwards, wailing as she was hit by the powerful attack. Although she was resistant to ice-type attacks, the blow certainly hadn't _felt _like it!

As Ezra recovered, the hail stopped.

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

The sun was useless to her now, Ezra thought bitterly as her flame rose high into the air. Thanks to the Icy Globe, her power-up would be of no good.

"I want to see blood!" Formora snapped at Kia and Firnen, who were busy pummeling Carys. She turned back to face Ezra, then whipped her head back to her teammates, staring angrily at them for some unknown reason.

Seeing her foe distracted, Ezra took the opportunity and blasted Formora with Hex. The Froslass didn't seem to feel the blow, but all it did was make her even angrier. With a guttural roar, Formora sent Ezra sprawling across the floor with her Ice Beam.

At the same time, Kia and Firnen had successfully managed to hit Carys with Dragon Claw and Boomburst at the same time, sending Carys flying until she landed near Ezra.

Both girls got up painfully as their foes drew together on top of the crest of the "hill".

"How ya doin'?" Asked Ezra, watching the trio warily.

"Oh, I've had better days. You?" Carys responded, shaking dirt off her body.

"Same. Hey, hand me the seeds, will you? It's time this fight ended." Said Ezra, twisting out of the way of Formora's Ice Beam.

"Have at 'em." Carys said, quickly handing the seeds over to Ezra before she was smacked with Kia's Dragon Breath.

"Carys!" Ezra cried, then quickly downed the seeds before Formora could stop her.

Almost instantly, she felt pure _power_ rush through her. The Violent Seed maximized her attacks, and made her so incredibly _angry_. How _dare_ Formora try to kill her?! Ezra could now see the merit in killing her rival.

Ezra bellowed a battle cry, and rushed at her icy foe, ignoring said foe's Ice Beam. Formora grinned viciously, and ran for Ezra as well. Formora threw a Blizzard from her hands, and Ezra ducked low, avoiding the attack. Unbeknownst to her, though, Carys had been hit by the Blizzard, and subsequently fainted, leaving only one Reviver Seed.

Once the Blizzard had faded, Ezra prepared a Night Shade above her head. Formora began to dodge, but the Encourage Seed told Ezra where her foe would be. Ezra adjusted her trajectory, and launched the attack. Formora scowled as she was hit, and briefly paused, glaring intensely at Ezra.

"A Violent Seed, huh? Do you _really _think that'll stop me?" She growled, glowing blue and rising into the air.

Hail formed once more.

**Weather Condition: Hail**

"Violent Seeds only last for a few minutes. I can easily evade all your attacks until it wears off." Formora grinned wolfishly.

Ezra only screamed and threw her Hex, not knowing that a hailstone had struck her. As expected, Formora vanished, but a nanosecond later Ezra threw another Hex at where the Encourage Seed told her Formora was. The Froslass reappeared as she was hit, startled.

"WHAT?!" She screeched. She then paused for minute. "Ah. An Encourage Seed. Clever, _clever_ Ezra thinks she's won. Well, _YOU HAVEN'T!_" Formora screamed at the top of her lungs.

Ezra faltered only for a second before rushing at Formora again. The Froslass threw all her might into a Blizzard, but the angry Ezra did not care. She was starting to tire, but the Violent Seed made her press on. Ezra swiftly hit Formora with two successions of Night Shade and Hex. Formora took the attacks, not seeming to care. Dimly, Ezra recalled Kia telling her and Carys that the trio had trained themselves not to show pain, in order to intimidate their foes. Well, trained or not, Formora had to be starting to tire as well.

Upon impulse, Ezra surged power to her already-risen flame. Once it reached her head, something clicked, and a bright blue ball of fire began to form in front of her flame. Wordlessly, Ezra poured all her rage into the Inferno, sending the blue beam or fire straight at Formora's face.

Even with encouragement from the Encourage Seed, it was no match for the fire-nullifying Icy Globe. The beam disintegrated upon contact with the light blue dome the globe generated in front of Formora.

Ezra fell to the ground, still enraged but exhausted. Just why did she think that would work…?

"Your strongest attack did nothing." Ezra looked up to see Formora standing directly in front of her. She had only a few seconds to register that before Formora hit her point-blank with Blizzard.

She fainted.

When she revived, she felt normal. No anger, no desire to hurt Formora. Uh-oh…

Uneasily, Ezra tried throwing a Night Shade at Formora, who used her Snow Cloak to dodge. Ezra couldn't discern where she had gone. The Encourage Seed must have worn off when she fainted.

This was a problem.

She felt an Ice Beam bowl into her back, and she fell forwards, barely catching herself before she hit the ground. Knowing what would come next, she rolled away, towards the exit. She heard a grunt as Formora crashed into the spot she had just been, her regular attack having missed. Above, the hail stopped.

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

Panting, both Champions stood back up, watching each other with hatred and disgust in their eyes.

Keeping Formora in her peripheral vision, Ezra looked to see how Carys was doing.

Carys was doing very badly. The good news was, so were Kia and Firnen. All three were panting for breath, sweating profusely and moving sluggishly. All three looked like they were one hit away from fainting.

Kia and Firnen braced themselves, then the former threw one last Dragon Breath at Carys, while Firnen dove at Carys with Guillotine.

Carys responded by spinning in circles, sending out two Razor Leaves as she did so. The first Razor Leaf collided with Firnen, and with a groan the Fraxure snapped out of his attack and fell over backwards. He did not get up.

The second Razor Leaf shot past Dragon Breath, crashing into Kia. He fell from the air in a collapsed heap, and he too did not get back up.

As for Carys, she allowed the Dragon Breath to hit her. She fainted, but they had no more Reviver Seeds.

Leaving only Ezra and Formora.

Realizing what this meant, Ezra felt panic seize her. No, no, no! She wasn't ready. She turned back to Formora, who realized what was about to happen as well.

A wild, insane glint came into her eyes, and a demented grin spread across her face. Beyond her, more and more cracks were appearing in the pinnacle, and still the Shards did not join with Arceus.

Ezra's heart was pounding hard, so hard Ezra feared it would explode out of her chest. The adrenaline made her aware of her own deep, panicked breaths. She whipped sharply to the left, hoping by some miracle Carys would awaken. But she did not.

"They can't help you now. It's time, Ezra, time at last!" Formora said, laughing maniacally.

Ezra gasped, not out of fear, but because she had seen this exact moment when she had fought Dialga and had been hit by his Roar of Time! She then registered that Formora was speaking, and tried to return to the chilling matter at hand.

"—me. I think…" Formora said slowly and thoughtfully. "...that this battle needs some special rules." She floated over to Ezra, who flinched, but Formora didn't attack her. Instead, Formora took the orbiting Icy Globe, deactivated it, then promptly threw it over the edge of Celestial Spire. She then floated over to where Kia's bag lay. It too went over the edge, and so did her Froslass Bow and Firnen's Royal Silk.

"Well?" Formora said impatiently once she was done. It took Ezra a moment, but she finally realized that Formora wanted this to be a no-item final battle. She hesitated. Obeying Formora would mean that neither could rely on their globes or items. That meant Ezra could now hit Formora with her fire-type moves.

As Ezra was thinking, Formora grew impatient and threw Carys' bag over the edge anyway.

"Hey!" Ezra protested too late.

"Come on. It only protects against my Shadow Ball." Formora glared, nodding at the Nether Globe.

Ezra sighed, and deactivated the orb. She threw the bag that had kept the Shards over the edge as well, and gently set the Nether Globe along the wall.

"No. _Over _the edge." Formora ordered.

"But it'll break!" Whined Ezra. Formora held up her left arm, showing off the cut she made, then looked meaningfully at Ezra, who understood the message. With a groan, and feeling somewhat like a traitor, she tossed the Nether Globe over the edge.

"Finally. Now, let us begin." Formora smiled viciously.

* * *

**Boss Battle—The Final Battle (Formora's Ultimate Theme~**** watch?v=40DEipGcoXg****)**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

This was it. This was the moment where she'd either die, or live. Ezra hoped it was the latter.

"Tell me…" Formora said as she circled Ezra. She was completely relaxed, certain of her victory. "Why do you fight?"

"Peace and prosperity? To keep things as they were?" Ezra said, unsure of the question. Formora laughed harshly.

"So you want the wealthy and powerful to keep the starving and poor in poverty? Because that's what's happening right now. All the money in the world, all the food one could want, and yet poverty is still very much alive." She informed.

"Well why do _you _fight?! _What do you want?!_" Ezra yelled.

"To be alone." Formora responded, dead serious. "All I've ever wanted was to be alone, to survive out in the wilderness, unencumbered by idiots. I hate people. I hate walls and cities. I hate my life! _I hate failure!_" Formora screamed, tears coming to her eyes. She looked behind Ezra, and more tears welled up.

"_**SHUT UP! IT'S NOT MY FAULT I WAS BORN!**_" She half-sobbed, half-screamed. She turned back to Ezra, angrily wiping away her tears.

"When I kill you...I'll finally be able to achieve my dream. I'll live in the north, where no one dares tread. I'll have captives sent to me, where if they survive the journey to reach me, I'll murder them in cold blood. I'll live off the land, and I'll finally be happy." Formora stated.

Then, without warning, she lunged.

Meanwhile, Carys woke with a raging headache. With a moan, she managed to pick herself off the ground, wincing as she did so. Hearing sounds next to her, she opened her eyes to see Kia and Firnen doing the same. The three stared at each other for a second, then turned to watch Ezra and Formora's battle.

"So…" Began Kia. "It's beginning…"

"It certainly seems that way." Firnen nodded gravely, but he made no move to help Formora.

"Are...aren't you guys going to help her?" Carys asked timidly.

"No," Firnen said firmly. "We're not going to help her any longer."

"We've decided we've had enough of her tyranny, and not just against us. She's changed. She's no longer the wonderful woman I met three months ago." Kia added sadly.

"O-oh…" Carys said, then looked around. "Where's my bag? I need to help Ezra."

"We might not help Formora, but we _will_ stop you from helping Ezra. This is her and 'Mora's fight now. As for your bag...I can't see it. In fact, I can't see any items, save the Shards." Kia responded, looking around confusedly.

"I wonder if they threw them all off the edge of the tower." Firnen suggested.

Carys peered over the edge, but couldn't see the ground past the clouds below. It sounded like it was raining down below.

"I can't tell. I guess they must have." She reported, then resumed watching the fight.

Ezra neatly dodged Formora's Shadow Ball, and successfully hit her with Flame Burst. But Formora only scowled, and shot Ezra with Ice Beam in return.

"Who do you think will win?" Carys asked.

"Hard to say...Formora is stronger, but Ezra has heart." Pondered Kia.

"It's anyone's guess." Firnen agreed. He paused, then added, "I hope it's Ezra."

"Me too…" Carys nodded worriedly.

Ezra landed squarely on her tailbone, having been hit by a Shadow Ball to the face. She flinched as she got back up, rubbing the sore spot. Formora inched closer to her, then something caught her eye.

"Well? Aren't you two gonna help me?" She demanded. Ezra turned, and saw that Carys, Kia, and Firnen were awake, and were watching their fight.

"Nope." Firnen said, crossing his arms.

"We're tired of your cruelty, 'Mora." Added Kia. Formora quivered in pure rage.

"You _**USELESS**_ _traitors! _I _knew_ you had turned against me!" She screamed at them.

"For the past few weeks all you've done is threaten and berate us. You've changed, and not for the better, Formora." Kia frowned.

"It's 'My Lady' to you!" Seethed Formora.

"When we first met, you _specifically _told us not to call you that!" Shouted Firnen.

"I did not!" Denied Formora.

"Yes you did! And it's not just us; you've tortured a ton of Pokemon back home. _Your own allies, Formora! _You paid Cradily one million Poke to dress as a clown and terrorize Duosion for a week straight! You _knew_ he was afraid of clowns!" Yelled Kia.

"I was bored!" Formora snorted.

"You hired a mercenary to follow Jace with a knife 24/7!" Protested Firnen.

"He's always late, so I decided to fix it."

"You threw Bonsly out of the second-story window." Glowered Kia.

"I was teaching him the meaning of the word 'defenestration'." Formora dismissed.

"You manipulated Flora into developing anorexia!" Yelled Firnen.

"She annoys me. You've known this for a long time." Glared Formora.

"You gave Troja a mental breakdown." Stated Kia.

"Hey, _you _wanted me to teach Cate's teammates not to insult her. So I did." Formora snapped back at him.

"You turned Sonya against me! _You knew I liked her! _You didn't seem to mind when Kia started going out with Cate!" Accused Firnen, pointing a shaking finger at his former lady.

"Because unlike Cate, Sonya would have only held you back." Formora defended, crossing her arms.

"Oh _really_? It's not because Sonya and Oksana come from wealthy families, and you don't?" Sneered Firnen.

Formora opened her mouth for a retort, but Kia cut her off.

"The point is, we're done with you. We're not going to help you with this fight, but we will stop Carys if she tries to help Ezra."

"Who is Carys?" Demanded Formora.

"Oh, _come on_. You seriously don't know my name?" Carys asked, looking annoyed.

Formora bristled, then turned her back against them.

"Whatever. I don't need you two. You're worthless to me. I DON'T NEED YOU AT ALL!" She screamed, turning back to Ezra and lunging at her.

Ezra barely dodged, and Formora whipped around to throw a Shadow Ball at her. This time, she could not dodge, and Ezra was sent back towards the exit. She landed roughly on the floor, creating another fracture.

She scrambled to her feet when she saw Formora flying right at her. Ezra side-stepped out of the way, and launched her Flame Burst. Formora buckled under the blow, but she rapidly recovered and rose high into the air, creating a hailstorm.

**Weather Condition: Hail**

Ezra scowled as her flame, no longer aided by the sun, died back down to its normal height. She tried to summon the power for Inferno, but just as the power was about to reach her flame, something snapped and the strength died back down.

She tried again, concentrating hard. This time, as the power tried to reach her flame, she managed to create the blue ball that was phase 1 of the attack. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Formora reappear nearby. This caused her to lose her concentration, and once more the power dissipated.

"Oh, having trouble with Inferno, are we?" Formora mocked as she pummeled Ezra with Blizzard.

Ezra blanched against the freezing attack. She didn't have much time for blanching, though, for Formora wasted no time in using Shadow Ball against Ezra.

Ezra cried out, then twisted and rolled out of the way, anticipating a third attack. She was correct, and another Shadow Ball whizzed by her, so close her flame momentarily sputtered. Ezra got to her feet and ran past Formora, seeking the crest of the "hill", where she'd have a slight height advantage.

When she reached the "crest", something that felt like an Ice Beam—coupled with a hailstone bonking her head—caused her to trip, crashing down to the ground and once again reopening the knife wound on her hand.

She winced as the sting of pain shot through her arm. She had to forcefully prevent herself from looking at her blood—she could feel it begin to drip down her hand—and raised her head to see Formora come barreling at her once more.

She dodged Formora's regular attack, and actually managed to hit her with Hex. Her enemy then disappeared into the hailstorm, and Ezra turned round and round, searching for the faintest sign of Formora.

"Here I am!" Formora's voice sang mockingly behind her, and right after Ezra felt herself being struck with a regular attack.

She landed right on her face, and it took her a moment to get back up. But eventually, she did. Panting, she watched Formora, who only looked a tad tired. Ezra wiped sweat off her forehead. She was going to need to fight better if she wanted to defeat Formora.

This time, Ezra went on the offensive, and threw a Flame Burst at Formora, who naturally vanished. Ezra winced as another hailstone hit her, waited a few seconds, then dove forward unexpectedly towards the left.

She heard Formora's grunt of indignation as her attack missed. Ezra jumped to her feet and nailed Formora with Night Shade before the Froslass could use her Snow Cloak to dodge.

The hail stopped.

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

Ezra smiled, feeling her flame increase once more.

Formora scowled at her, then turned to face her former teammates and Carys. Before anyone could think, Formora had dashed over to the three and grabbed Carys. She held the Pumpkaboo painfully by the ruffle on her head, and held her over the edge of the tower. If Formora let Carys go, Carys would fall down to the ground, for although Carys could float, she still felt gravity.

She grinned at Ezra.

"What say you now, _'Champion'_?" She laughed. "If you two move even an inch, I will Blizzard you into oblivion." She threatened at Kia and Firnen, who had started to move towards her. They stopped.

Ezra froze, horrified. This wasn't happening. She couldn't reach Formora in time, and the second Kia moved to catch the falling Carys, he'd be attacked.

No. No. NO! This wasn't happening! She was _not _about to lose her best friend! NEVER!

This time, the power came easily, and something clicked inside of Ezra. Formora was distracted, watching Kia and Firnen for the slightest movement. She wasn't paying attention to Ezra.

Ezra used her horror and anger to fuel the attack. A bright blue ball of fire formed in front of her flame. When she was ready, she unleashed the attack.

Formora heard, and turned. Her eyes went wide, and unconsciously she dropped Carys into the air below.

"Carys!" Immediately, Kia dove off the edge at the same time Inferno struck.

Formora crashed into the protective barrier, and stayed there as she was completely enveloped in fire.

The Inferno lasted for about seven seconds, and when the attack ended, both Champions fell to the floor in an exhausted heap.

Formora recovered first, and before Ezra knew it she was on her back, with a thoroughly enraged—although medium rare—Formora pinning her down with both hands. Formora, who was definitely so enraged she didn't even feel the pain of her injuries anymore, punched Ezra squarely in the eye. Ezra screamed, struggling in vain to throw Formora off of her. The Froslass then began to slide her powerful hands to Ezra's throat. Ezra screamed at the top of her lungs only for a second before her voice was cut off by Formora putting all her strength onto Ezra's windpipe.

Ezra coughed and struggled, desperate for breath. Somewhere she distantly registered that Kia returned, holding a wet and shaken Carys.

But Ezra was not focused on Carys right now. She writhed and squirmed, trying to throw Formora off of her. But the Froslass, as she had been saying all along, was too strong for her.

As black spots danced across her vision, Ezra screamed internally for someone—_anyone!—_to help her.

Then something miraculous happened.

As her vision began to fade, Ezra thought she heard a low humming sound, and thought she felt the ground trembling.

"WHAT?!" She heard a woman scream, and suddenly the pressure on her throat disappeared. Ezra lay there, gasping and sputtering, holding her hands to her almost-crushed neck.

When she was strong enough to open her bruised eye, she found Formora standing horrified above her, staring at something behind her. The ground was still trembling.

Coughing pitifully, Ezra managed to sit up and turn around, and gasped—which sent her into another coughing fit—as she saw the scene behind her.

The 18 Shards were rising into the air, where they formed a circle, all pointing to Arceus. The Shards then teleported to the inside of the prison, where they began to rejoin with the Original One.

Formora staggered backwards, a look of pure horror and disbelief on her face. She shook her head slowly, unwilling to comprehend what was happening.

"No…" She whispered.

"No." She repeated, a little louder. She closed her eyes and put her hands to the sides of her head.

"No! _I'M NOT GOING TO PROVE YOU RIGHT! I'M _NOT _A FAILURE!"_ She screamed as Arceus' head started to lift the tiniest bit.

A determined expression replaced her look of horror, and Formora stepped past Ezra and towards Arceus. Ezra got to her feet, and watched Formora look at the tiny orb of antimatter that was next to Arceus' prison. Suddenly she realized what its purpose was, and what Formora was going to do.

"You don't have to ***cough* **do this!" Ezra protested.

"Oh, but I do. I can't prove him right, you see. I've come too far to let that happen." Formora responded calmly and clearly. She glanced back at Ezra, and the Litwick thought she saw a glint of sadness in Formora's clear and non-insane eyes.

"Perhaps in another life, we shall meet again." Formora said. She then gazed up at the two balls of antimatter. She muttered something that sounded almost like "I do", then before Ezra could stop her, Formora threw a Shadow Ball at the smaller antimatter sphere.

Instantly, it caused the ball to explode, which in turn caused the prison to explode. Everyone was thrown back by the force of the blast. The force of the explosion finally catalyzed the collapse of Celestial Spire.

Up above, the arch groaned, and pieces of it began to fall to the ground. The cracks on the floor were widening and spreading, until the floor was nothing but one giant crack. The trembling intensified, and Ezra knew the tower would crumble very soon.

"Come on! We've gotta ***cough* **_GO!_" Ezra screamed as she, Firnen, Carys, and Kia all began running for the exit.

Ezra paused, and turned to see Formora watching them from the center of the floor, an emotionless expression on her face. She made no attempt to run for safety.

"You'll never make it in time. The failsafe orb was designed that way." Formora informed in a monotone.

"RUN!" Ezra yelled at her. Formora did not respond.

"Ezra, COME ON!" Carys yelled at her. Ezra paused. She _had_ to make Formora run; it was the only way they'd survive! But if _she_ didn't move soon, then they'd both die.

Ezra blanched at this fork in the road.

"_COME ON!_" Carys was screaming at the top of her lungs.

Ezra paused, made her decision, and turned to run with Carys down the tower.

She did not see the arch fall on top of Formora, did not hear her cry out as she was crushed by the weight of the structure.

* * *

Together, the four ran as fast as they could down Celestial Spire. Above, they could hear booming noises as the top floors came crashing down. The problem was, could they outrun the falling tower?

Down and down they ran, as fast as they could go, spurred on by panic and adrenaline. It also didn't help that the ground was still shaking. And the booming sounds only continued to grow closer…

Soon they reached the halfway point. They still ran, for now half of the weight of Celestial Spire was coming down from above. They were running out of time.

None of them could think, save for the basic desire of self-preservation. Survival was their only thought; absolutely nothing else mattered.

When they had reached approximately 13F, they finally began to slow down, against their wishes. Adrenaline could take them only so far, and even they were beginning to tire. But they didn't dare stop, even though their legs were burning in agony from the extended sprint.

But to stop was to die.

So on they ran.

At around 5F, the ceiling finally caught up to them. As they were heading for the exit to 4F, a large chunk of ceiling dropped down in front of them, blocking the exit.

"_No no NO!_" Ezra screamed, Hexing the rock in blind panic. It did not break, and finally the rest of the tower was upon them.

Ezra squeezed her tear-filled eye shut, hoping that her end would be swift.

But, right before the four were crushed, the falling tower stopped. After a few seconds, Ezra realized she wasn't dead and cautiously peeked her eye open. What she saw made her gasp.

The tower pieces were being held telekinetically above their heads. The pieces hung there for a minute, then by some unseen force they began to rise again, and mend itself right before her eyes.

The large chunk that was blocking their way rose too, and the astonished four eagerly made their way outside.

* * *

The first thing Ezra noticed was that it was raining fiercely. Her flame hissed and sputtered, but she ignored it.

She had survived.

She still lived.

But what about Arceus, or Formora?

She, along with the others, turned and watched in marvel as Celestial Spire slowly began to repair itself. The trembling ground slowed, then eventually stopped altogether.

Finally, after what seemed like eons, the Spire was fully healed. Did that mean…?

"_Thank you." _ Said a familiar, all-powerful voice from nowhere. In front of them, a large bright sphere of light appeared. When the light dissipated, there stood Arceus.

It was thin and unsteady on Its feet, but definitely, _definitely _alive.

It looked down upon Carys, then rested Its gaze on Ezra.

"_You did it. You saved the world, Ezra. Oh, how wonderful it is to finally meet you in the flesh." _Arceus said, bending down to nuzzle Ezra's cheek.

"_I cannot thank you enough," _It went on. "_For a while, I thought that all was lost. I didn't even have enough strength to pull my Shards to me when you found me."_

"Oh, Voice, it's wonderful to see You too!" Ezra half-sobbed, half-laughed joyfully, tears coming to her eye as she hugged Arceus' head. Being alive was truly, _truly_ a wonderful thing. "But...how did you survive, then?"

"_Ah...I had lost my omnipotence and consciousness weeks ago. You've no idea how very, _very _close I was to death when you found me. I was minutes away... I had lost awareness of everything. All was black. Then, out of nowhere, I heard a scream. _Your _scream. Somehow that penetrated my coma, and for the briefest second I became aware of my surroundings. Instantly I discovered my Shards lying nearby, and I used the very last bit of my health to gather enough energy to pull them to me. As soon as they were returned to me, much of my strength was back. The blast from the failsafe orb did catch me off guard, and weakened me for just a moment. That is why the tower fell for so long. But as soon as I had most of my bearings back, I began to rebuild my tower." _Arceus narrated.

"Oh…" Was all Ezra and Carys could say.

"_I am still weak, though. It shall be some time before I am at my full strength once more. Tell me, dearest Ezra and Carys, what happened to Giratina? Does he still live?"_ Arceus asked, turning to look in the direction of Antithesis Cavern.

"Yes, but Cresselia and Darkrai have put him to sleep. They're going to keep him that way until he's fully repentant. ...Actually, he kinda already was, when we battled him." Ezra reported, trying to shield her flame from the rain.

"_...A fitting punishment. I did not expect him to change, though. Perhaps there is hope after all for him." _Arceus said after a moment.

"What will you do now?" Inquired Ezra.

"_I have slept for so very long, I did not pay much attention to how the world was faring. But, Giratina did teach me something. There is still cruelty and injustice abound. Poverty, starvation, and homelessness next to wealth, abundant resources, and luxury. That is not right. The Dark did have a point to their fight. If I continue to let this occur, then another Dark War will rise once more. So, after I have regained my strength, I will watch the world more closely. I shall start by enacting new laws, and abolishing unfair ones. I will provide food and shelter for the needy, and destroy monopolies. But before that, I shall focus on repairing the damage to time and space." _Arceus stated resolutely.

"And if anyone resists?" Asked Carys.

"_Without Giratina to back them, t__hey would not dare resist me." _Arceus said in a dark tone, a hard look in Its eyes. Ezra thought about what would happen if anyone were to disobey the Original One, and shuddered. It would not be pretty, that's for sure.

"_Is there anything I might do for you, as a token of my _utmost _gratitude?" _Asked Arceus. Ezra thought hard.

"...All I can really think of is getting my memories back." She said.

"_Ah, that was an unfortunate side-effect of bringing you to this world. You will need Uxie for such a request, but I doubt you will have to wait long for it." _Arceus responded, looking up and behind them.

Ezra and Carys turned, and gasped when they saw Cresselia, Xerneas, and the Lake Trio approaching Luminous Spring.

"Ezra! Carys! We came as soon as we could!" Shouted Uxie once everyone had arrived.

"We felt the earthquake, and we were sure that you had lost! But then it stopped, and we realized that you had won instead!" Mesprit added, hugging the duo.

"Are you well, Arceus?" Cresselia asked worriedly.

"_Yes, I am. And it's all thanks to these two."_ Arceus nodded at Team Banshee.

"We knew you could do it!" Xerneas beamed.

After the cheering had stopped, a question came to Ezra.

"What...What about Formora? Where is she?" Ezra asked, looking around. "Actually, where are Kia and Firnen, for that matter?" The two men were nowhere to be found.

"I...don't sense her energy…" Xerneas said uncomfortably. A silence fell over the group.

"It was...for the best." Cresselia said awkwardly.

"_Mm."_ Mused Arceus. Overheard, the rain began to slow.

Another hushed silence fell over them. Ezra wasn't really sure what to think of Formora's death. On the one hand, the world was finally rid of the sadistic psychopath. But...Formora had suffered too. She had been plagued by hallucinations, and was afraid of failing for some reason. Obviously, something in her past had caused her to be that way. Did she deserve a second chance?

"I could have helped her." Cresselia said wistfully, as if in response to Ezra's thought. "I could have healed her psychopathy and dispel her hallucinations."

"And I could have taken the hatred from her." Mesprit added sadly. Ezra and Carys stared at the two.

"I told you, I'm the healer of nightmares, and I'm not limited to the dream kind. Whatever mental hell someone is going through, I can get rid of it. Permanently." Cresselia explained.

"And I'm the Being of Emotion, remember? I can easily take away a certain emotion from someone." Mesprit explained as well.

A Formora without the desire to hurt others...could that even work?

"_...Anyways. Uxie, I believe Ezra would like her memories back. Would you be so kind?" _Arceus inquired.

"Of course." Uxie floated in front of Ezra, who trembled with anticipation. This was it. Her memories would be restored soon.

"Just close your eyes. I'll be done before you know it." Uxie requested.

Ezra obeyed, and Uxie put a hand on her forehead. She then had the strangest feeling, akin to falling in a cold body of water. She kicked for the surface, pushing as hard as she could. When she broke the surface, she opened her eyes.

She..._remembered. _

Her name was Ezra. Her supposed birthday was March 27th. She was 16 years old, and lived in Alice's Home for Girls in Castelia City in the Unova region. She was an orphan, and the home hadn't had very much money. She had mocha skin, long brown hair, and brown eyes. Her personality was much the same as it was now.

And then there was Marissa…

Marissa, a fellow orphan, was her best friend. Together, they got into all kinds of adventures in the city, from exploring construction sites to selling cookies Marissa made on the street.

Back when she had been fighting Dialga, the very first vision Roar of Time had shown her had been the day she had been brought to this world. Ezra had been watching the sailors down at the docks, wishing she could travel the world, when Marissa had found her. As the two girls had been walking back home, a whirlpool and tornado had suddenly appeared behind them. The tornado had sucked Ezra down into the whirlpool, where it transported her to this dimension.

Ezra blinked, momentarily overwhelmed by the sudden return of 16 years' worth of memories. Everyone looked at her expectantly.

"I...remember…" She said faintly, as the rain stopped. Carys grinned.

_"I can take you back to your own dimension now, if you wish."_ Arceus offered. Ezra didn't even have to think.

"No, thank you. I...I've found my home here. I'll miss my friends back in my old world, but I've found my place here in this one."

"There's...one thing I'd like to ask, if I may." She added shyly.

"_Name it, and it will be yours." _

"Could...could I send a message back home? My best friend Marissa was there when I was taken. She must be worried sick. I'd…I'd like to let her know that I'm safe." Ezra asked.

"_Done!"_ Arceus boomed, and suddenly paper and a pen materialized in front of Ezra. She took it, and after some thought, wrote out her letter:

"_Dear Marissa,_

_I've missed you so much! I just wanted to let you know that I'm safe and sound. That whirlpool took me to another dimension, could you believe it? At first I was wary of staying, but after a while I realized that this dimension is my home now. I get to travel the world and search for treasure, just like I've always wanted! I hope you get this letter, and I hope it eases your heart. I'll never forget you, and I hope one day I'll get to see you again. Good luck with your dream to become a baker! I believe in you! _

_Forever your friend, _

_Ez_

_PS. I still think grass-types are better than dragon-types."_

She added that last sentence so that Marissa would know it truly did come from Ezra. They had had that discussion a week before Ezra's disappearance.

"Only _you_ would think that grass-types are superior to mighty dragons!" Marissa had laughed as they walked down Narrow Street.

Ezra folded up her letter, and handed it to Arceus, where it promptly vanished.

"_I'm too weak to send it right now, but I'll make sure your Marissa gets it soon." _It promised.

"Thank you." Ezra nodded solemnly.

"What will we do now?" Asked Carys.

Ezra thought about it, then smiled and turned around, drinking in the scenery. She could think of only one thing she wanted to do.

"Let's go home."

* * *

**And so, the final battle has come to an end. Ezra has won, and Arceus still lives. Giratina is safely asleep, and Formora is dead. If Ezra had chosen to stay with Formora, then she would have died, and not our antagonist. Ezra chose the Dark option, to save herself, and she survived. **

**Cresselia and Mesprit say that they could have turned Formora 'good'. What do you think of that? We've seen a bit of Formora's nightmares; is it good that she is dead, or (if she was 'healed') would she deserve a second chance? **

**Anyways, the final post is done, and so, this story has come to an end.**

**Oh no. Ohhhhhhhhhhh no no no **_**no.**_

**You see, my dearest readers, this is a Mystery Dungeon story. And as we all know, next comes the post-story. After all, the world won't magically become a utopia the next day. And what of our heroes? What will they do next? **

**Will they evolve? What became of Kialandi and Firnen? What of the rest of the Dark, those who managed to elude capture; what will those Pokemon do now? And who is the mysterious operative? What kinds of adventures will our heroes get up to? **

**All of these questions will be answered in the post-story, which will be comprised of four chapters of different lengths. It's gonna be amazing :)**

**See you then~**


	77. Post-Story Chapter 1 Aftermath

**Post-story Chapter 1. Aftermath**

* * *

_Underneath a moonlit sky in a dense forest, two Pokemon stood above a third. The third was lying on its back, and it was unaware that it was not alone. _

_The first Pokemon, a tall male, stood silently over it. Normally he was jolly and seemingly carefree, but now he was uncharacteristically grave as he looked down upon the motionless figure. To the right was his companion, a solemn woman who frowned more than she smiled. She too gazed down upon the body below her. A stray moonbeam shone across its face, as if giving it the moon's blessing. The female grimaced. _She _certainly would not have blessed this particular Pokemon below her. But that was exactly what they were about to do. She turned to her partner, sighing._

"_Remind me why we're doing this again." She asked, wondering bitterly why they had agreed to do this task._

"_Believe me, if it were up to me, we wouldn't be. But our leader has asked it of us, and so we must obey." The male responded, sounding somewhat resigned. _

_The woman waited, and presently he continued,"When I asked, I was told that this one—" he nodded at the Pokemon lying below them, "—was also a victim of the Dark. Or something like that."_

"_There are many others like this one." The woman protested calmly. _

"_Yes, but every life is different. According to our leader, it's this one's particular memories that has made it supposedly worthy of my gift." He nodded._

_The two fell silent, while the Pokemon below them still did not stir. _

_Finally, the woman sighed. _

"_You'd better get it over with." She said begrudgingly._

_The man nodded, and stepped forward. A green aura began to pulsate from him. A second later, a similar aura rose from the Pokemon on the ground. After a few seconds, both auras dissipated._

"_It is done." He said gravely. _

_Below, the Pokemon finally began to stir, its eyes fluttering. But a gentle touch from the woman sent the Pokemon back into unconsciousness. _

_The woman scooped up the slumbering Pokemon in her arms, and together she and her companion take it elsewhere._

* * *

_Four months after the final battle…_

Ezra woke up shortly after nine to the sound of thunder, then squinted at the window. It was raining hard, as it had been for the past few days. More thunder could be heard in the distance, and the worst of the storm was to come later today. The town had spent the soggy week preparing for the climax, as power was expected to go out and anything not firmly set in the ground was most likely going to be washed away.

Ezra rose from her bed, waking Carys as she did so.

"Mmm...what time is it?" The Pumpkaboo murmured.

"Nine." Replied Ezra, glancing at the clock in their room.

"Oh...one sec." Carys yawned, then opened her eyes, blinking wearily.

"***Yawn*** So, today's the day, huh?" Carys asked, coming to float beside Ezra at the window. It was hard to see anything through the constant torrent of rain splattering the glass.

"Yep. We're supposed to see the worst of it around four o'clock, according to Rose." Ezra nodded.

"Goody. Well, I say we go eat breakfast, then see what we can do to help." Carys sighed, then got a happy grin at the thought of breakfast.

Ezra agreed.

"Morning Team Banshee! Lovely day, huh?" Rose smiled wryly when she saw the two enter the commons room. She was supervising Noibat of Team Geo and Pelipper, who were busy putting tape over the windows in case they were broken during the worst of the storm.

"Yeah. Is there anything we can do to help?" Asked Ezra, coming closer to them.

"Get some breakfast first. I think Franziska could use some assistance, though." Rose said thoughtfully. Ezra and Carys thanked her, and headed into the refectory.

Today, Franziska had set out a breakfast buffet, since everyone was busy trying to get ready for the storm, which was reportedly the worst this year.

"Two more weeks." Seadra of Team Geo nodded at them as they took a plate and began to fill them up on pancakes and cereal. All perishable items had to be eaten today, otherwise they'd spoil quickly when the power went out.

The date was December 12th. Christmas was just around the corner.

"We just have to get through today first." Carys smiled at him. Seadra nodded hollowly, and resumed eating his cinnamon roll in silence.

* * *

When Ezra and Carys had returned back home after the Battle of Celestial Spire, they found that not everyone on their side had survived the Battle for the Dark Compound.

Among the departed were Vivillon of Team Hurricane, Mareep of Team Dazzle, Roran the Shiny Umbreon of the Moonlit Meadow Tribe, Alexis the Hariyama, and Macargo of Team Geo. Now, where the geography team had once personified land, sea, and sky, there was only sky and sea left. Seadra had assumed the role of leader, but he and Noibat still mourned for Macargo, who was buried in the field outside town.

Even so, the Light had won that day, and had rounded up most of the Dark forces and arrested them. However, many Pokemon had escaped captured, and were still at large, among which were the traitorous Glace and Caine of Team Rogue. A few legendaries were among the outlaws as well. Kialandi and Firnen of Team Renegade were somehow still at large also, although there were rumors they were hiding somewhere up north.

And as for their late leader…

Last month, Carys had fallen ill. While the Pumpkaboo rested up, Ezra had ascended Celestial Spire once more to visit Arceus, who was delighted to see her again. She had asked what became of Formora's body and her items, and Arceus had explained that It dealt with Formora's body privately, not wanting to turn her into a martyr. As for her items, they were supposedly auctioned off, although the auctioneers were instructed not to say where the items came from.

"_You know, if I had the ability, I'd give her a second chance." _It had said wistfully.

"_WHAT?!_" Had been Ezra's response.

"_I once brushed against her mind by accident. When I did, I saw all of her memories. They were...disturbing. I felt sorry for her, for I saw why she became who she was at the end. Such wasted potential...Ah well. She is dead now, and I cannot bring the dead back to life. Even if I could, her soul has long since passed by now." _Arceus had explained. That had not stopped Ezra from thinking that It was insane, however.

She then asked about the weather, and how the space-time repairs were going. Arceus responded gravely with the fact that it would take lifetimes in order to repair all the damage Giratina had done over the eons. Strange weather would still exist for the rest of her life. On the plus side, though, Arceus reported that Dialga and Palkia were recovering well from their insanity, although it was still best if they were left alone.

They chatted about other things, Ezra and Arceus, and she left feeling very optimistic about the future.

* * *

Once Team Banshee had finished their breakfast, they visited Franziska in her kitchen.

"Heya, Franzy. What's up?" Carys greeted. Franziska was busy taking inventory of her remaining food.

"Don't call me Franzy." The Dewott said curtly as she rifled through her various cupboards, drawers, and refrigerator. She paused for a minute, then turned to face the duo.

"If you two don't mind getting wet, I could use some help." She said.

"Sure, what is it?" Asked Ezra.

"I could have sworn I was prepared for this afternoon, but it seems I don't have enough non-perishable food to last a week. I have plenty of water. I just need food, like apples, berries, and Gummis." Franziska replied.

"Hold on, the power's going to be out for a _week_?!" Protested Carys. Franziska shrugged.

"You never can tell with these things. As soon as it's safe to go out, you know everyone's going to be focused on the inevitable onslaught of rescue missions. That's going to be the top priority, rather than getting power back on." The Dewott informed.

Team Banshee winced. All nearby exploration teams were not looking forward to the missions that were going to come in tomorrow. Pokemon would need rescuing, having been caught off-guard by the storm, and criminals would definitely take advantage of all the chaos. The next few days were going to be a complete nightmare.

When the storm had first hit, the Exploration Federation had responded by divided the continent into nine somewhat-equal pieces, and the exploration teams were assigned to a certain piece, where they'd be in charge of rescue missions in that area. Team Banshee was assigned to the area surrounding Lily Town, from the southwestern most point, up to Sunset Beach, across to Jungle Thicket, and down to Mt. Zephyr, forming a lopsided square.

The other explorations teams assigned with them were Team Geo, Team Siren, the Bravo Specials, Team Triple S, Team Valkyrie, and the Hooded Brotherhood. They all had spent the past few days warning as many Pokemon in their section as they could to stay indoors and not to be outside on December 12th.

Time would only tell if people had listened, however…

Last week the unnatural storm had zoomed across the continent, affecting most of the land. It came from the northeast, cutting diagonally down the landmass, until finally it was Lily Town's turn to experience it. From what few reports came from the northwest, the area had been completely decimated. Rescue teams were _still_ running ragged trying to rescue as many Pokemon as they could. Many Pokemon were still reported as missing, or dead. It was so bad, multiple exploration teams had been called over to that region to assist. But the northeast hadn't had much advance warning, like the south did, and the Lily Town section teams were hoping their casualties wouldn't be as staggering. Plus, the storm would be severely weakened after a week of raging across the land. This area would be very fortunate indeed.

"Gratitude Valley has lots of non-perishable food, as I recall." Franziska was saying.

"The place where the Shaymin live? Yeah, sure. We'll be back before you know it." Ezra nodded. Gratitude Valley was only two hours away, so they wouldn't be too far away from home if something happened.

Franziska nodded in thanks as she returned to her inventory-taking.

"Going out to get rations. Back in a bit." Ezra called to Rose, who raised a hand to show that she heard.

"You're going out? In _this_ weather?" Pelipper asked incredulously as they entered the first floor.

"Franzy needs food for when the power goes out. We volunteered." Carys explained. Pelipper just shook his head in awe.

Ezra winced as soon as she stepped outside. The rain was heavy, and thick. So much that her flame was put out, much to her discomfort. She stepped outside warily, shivering in the cold December air, as visibility was very low, what with this blasted downpour.

"Come on!" She heard Carys shout over the roar of the torrent. They raced through town, not pausing to sort their supplies or deposit their money. They could do that later.

From what Ezra could see, the town was busy preparing their booths and homes for the climax later today. No one stopped them to chat. Everyone was miserable in this freezing, rainy weather. Everyone, except Hoopa.

"Hello Team B!" He laughed, warping in front of them. They didn't stop running, and he easily kept pace with them. "Whatcha doing?"

"Getting food for the Lofts. How are you?" Ezra asked as they ran past Sora's Library.

"Good! Neal's getting candles and flashlights. I'm supposed to be making sure everyone's prepared." Hoopa replied, somehow managing to hula-hoop while running.

"That's good. How's Victini?" Carys asked.

"She's fine! In her last letter, she said she'll try to come up when the storm's over." Hoopa replied. Shortly after Ezra and Carys returned home from Celestial Spire, Victini departed back to Destiny Ridge, saying that she wasn't needed in Lily Town anymore. But Ezra had noticed they were holding hands as Hoopa walked her home.

"Can't wait. Gotta go now, Hoopa. Bye!" Ezra waved as they left the town.

"Bye!" He laughed as he ceased running alongside them.

They ran through the downpour, glancing up occasionally whenever the thunder sounded a little too close.

At around eleven, they arrived at Gratitude Valley.

* * *

**Gratitude Valley**

The entrance to the dungeon was surrounded by Gracidea flowers that were no doubt drowning in all this rain. A small path leading to the inside of the dungeon lay ahead, and without preamble the duo ran inside, glad for the shelter against the rain and cold.

**B1F ( watch?v=5zO04vok_Zc)**

Or so they had thought.

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

"Really? _Really?_" Ezra glared up at the sky, where rain still fell incessantly. At least the downpour had lessened enough for her flame to relight itself. Plus it was slightly warmer in here.

"Apparently so." Carys sighed, then paused as she KO'd a Swablu that had spawned with them with Razor Leaf.

The terrain was grassy, with small red flowers growing here and there. Alongside the edges of the hedge-like walls grew ferns and bushes.

"Ugh. We can't escape the rain _anywhere_." Ezra sighed. "What do we have with us?" She added.

Carys looked inside their bag. Early in November, Team Banshee had advanced to Gold Rank, and they had received a new bag with 32 spaces for items inside.

"99 Iron Thorns, a Pecha Scarf, a Gold Ribbon, three apples, four Oran berries, a Chesto Berry, two Blast Seeds, a Heal Seed, four Reviver Seeds, two Stun Seeds, a Sleep Seed, two X-Eye Seeds, a Max Elixir, an Escape Orb, a Foe-Seal Orb, a Petrify Orb, a Sandy Orb, a Glittery Box, and a Sinister Box. We also have 1, 096 Poke." Reported Carys.

They had accumulated those items during a rescue mission the previous day. They hadn't had time to sort their plunder out just yet. Ezra now wore a Trap Scarf, and Carys still wore the Fickle Ribbon. The Nether Globe was safely in storage.

"Sounds good. Let's get going. Hopefully the rain will go away on the second floor." Ezra nodded as she led Carys down a hall.

**B2F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

"Aw, it's rainy here too?" Carys frowned. Then, a second later, "Ooh, Stairs!"

**B3F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

It seemed the storm was affecting this dungeon as well. It appeared they would have to deal with the rain during the rest of their exploration. Bracing themselves for a miserable time, they set off once more. They scoured the entire floor for items, not descending the Stairs until they were sure they'd found them all.

**B4F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

As the duo found a new chamber, Ezra saw to her delight that this one had a Red Gummi in it. Eagerly, she ran over to it, and popped it into her mouth, greatly enjoying the sharp cinnamon taste.

"Ez! We're supposed to bring food back, not eat it all!" Protested Carys, coming over.

"Oh, come on. It's just one Gummi. Besides, we've already found a lot of food." Ezra persuaded.

Carys only shook her head wearily.

**B5F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

There was a Togetic and Swablu in a hall with them. The foes were on opposite sides, so Ezra dealt with the Togetic while Carys tangled with the Swablu.

The Togetic began the fight with Metronome, which turned into Aura Sphere. Getting hit with the iridescent blue sphere didn't even make Ezra blink. It had been six months since she had first explored this dungeon. The foes couldn't even make a scratch on her now.

She roasted the Togetic with Inferno. Over the past few months, she had practiced getting the attack to work. She had made some progress, but still it was difficult transferring the power from her core to her flame. She figured it worked about half the time, under normal circumstances. Whenever she was feeling extreme emotions, she could get it to work 100% of the time.

She turned, and watched as Carys pummeled the Swablu with Razor Leaf. It didn't get back up, and the duo pressed on.

They entered a chamber with an apple, much to their delight.

**B6F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

"Tomorrow's gonna be fun. It's December; thunderstorms aren't even supposed to be a thing anymore!" Ezra sighed as she led Carys through a chamber.

"The world's still out of whack, remember? Even though Arceus is on it, weird weather like this storm is still cropping up every so often. Tomorrow we'll be swamped with rescues. Don't get me wrong, I love rescuing folks, but our workload will be multiplied tenfold after tonight. _And_ we'll have to deal with no power. It's just gonna be one stressful mess. This storm is really something." Carys sighed back as they crossed the chamber and entered a corridor.

"Oh well. Hopefully, since we warned everyone, it won't be _too _stressful." Ezra nodded miserably.

**B7F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

They spawned with a Flabébé with a red flower. Before it could even react, it was quickly overwhelmed with Flame Burst and Shadow Ball at the same time.

The word 'overkill' was apt for the situation.

**B8F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

"Stay-ers." Said Carys.

**B9F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

In the next chamber they came to, they found a Togetic, a sleeping Sunflora, and an Oran Berry.

Ezra surprised the Togetic with Night Shade, and it fainted before it even had time to blink. As she walked over to the berry, however, Carys for whatever reason decided it would be a good idea to wake the Sunflora up with Razor Leaf.

Although the attack wasn't that effective, it was still powerful enough to KO the flowery foe.

"Why?!" Ezra demanded as she picked up the Oran Berry.

Carys shrugged.

They had long since run out of room in their bag for food, so they had to toss out items they didn't want in order to make room. This time, Ezra threw out the Petrify Orb, and put the Oran Berry inside.

**B10F**

**Weather Condition: Rainy**

A Flabébé surprised Carys from behind with an unexpected Fairy Wind while they were walking down a corridor. The attack only startled her. She hardly felt it. Carys turned, and Ezra did the same, watching Carys smack it into submission with Razor Leaf. With that over, Ezra turned around once more, where a Sunflora had magically appeared from around the corner.

Somehow it dodged Ezra's Flame Burst, and shot a beam of transparent green energy straight for Ezra. She frowned as the green beam enveloped her, and hardly winced as the Mega Drain leeched some of her energy.

"You done?" She asked her foe right before she roasted it with Flame Burst.

"The foes here are so cocky." She commented to Carys as they continued.

**Gratitude Valley Village**

They came to the Shaymin village, but the small huts could hardly be seen past the incessant water coming from above.

"Is that Team Banshee? Hello." A small voice nearby said. The duo looked, and managed to see a small green blur a few yards away.

"Heya! How are you guys? Keeping dry?" Ezra called over the noise of the rain.

"Somewhat. We're getting ready for this afternoon." They had to struggle to hear the soft-spoken Shaymin.

"Need any help?" Asked Carys.

"No, thank you. We're fine right now, but if anything happens we'll let you know. Why did you come here? Do you need anything?" The Shaymin's voice asked.

"We were just searching for edible items in your dungeon, is all. Nothing to worry about." Ezra assured the Shaymin, knowing that they were prone to anxiety.

"Oh. Okay. It was nice to see you again." The green blur moved, and presently it couldn't be seen anymore.

Ezra and Carys turned back and ran back home, their teeth chattering wildly.

* * *

**Lily Town**

"Thanks." Franziska nodded in approval as the duo set out: a Grass Gummi, a Silver Gummi, a White Gummi, nine apples, five Oran Berries, a Chesto Berry, and a Rawst Berry out. They had replaced most of their items with the food, and kept only the 99 Iron Thorns, the two Blast Seeds, the four Reviver Seeds, the two Stun Seeds, the Escape Orb, the Sleep Seed, and the two X-Eye Seeds.

"Will this be enough?" Fretted Carys as the thunder overhead shook the building.

"I had Team Siren go out to Lavish Woodlands and get more rations shortly after you left. I'll have enough for a few days. Someone will probably have to go out and get more, but we won't need to worry about that yet." Franziska replied, taking the items and putting them into various cupboards.

With that task done, the duo looked for Rose in order to see if there were any more last-minute tasks they could do. They found her emerging from the first floor, a grinning Roman of the Bravo Specials behind her.

"Yo, Ezzie! Look at these candles we found!" The Chesnaught laughed, showing her the objects he held in his burly hands. Ezra laughed as well. The candles were shaped like Litwicks.

"Those are great. Say, Rose, is there anything else we need to do?" Ezra asked. Rose shook her head.

"No, we're just about set. All we do now is wait out the storm." She replied.

And so, the Lofts employees and the exploration teams assigned to the area surrounding Lily Town waited for the climax of the storm to arrive. They passed the time with card games, stories, and charades.

Finally, at around a quarter till 4, the worst of the storm arrived.

They watched as a bright flash of lightning zoomed past the window, and the deep _boom_ that occurred a split-second later shook the earth. The rain picked up even more, and they could hear the trees groan as they struggled to remain upright as the wind increased.

"Wait...we're missing an explorer." Ivysaur said suddenly. Everyone looked around, and Ezra realized that Sips of the HB wasn't here.

"Oh my Arceus, I know where he is." Cave groaned, then got up and walked to the window. Ignoring everyone's protests, he opened it and yelled out, "Sips, you moron! There's a _thunderstorm_ overhead; get back in here!"

"CLOSE THAT WINDOW! YOU'RE GETTING RAIN INSIDE!" Blue Hood roared at Cave. The Golem closed the window, and soon after a soggy but grinning Sips entered the commons room.

"Sup?" The Marshtomp asked everyone.

"Why on earth were you outside?!" Demanded Marcus of Team Triple S. Sips shrugged.

"I like rain." He said simply. Sky whapped him over the head with a wing while Rose brought him a towel.

Soon after, the power went out. There weren't even flickers; one moment there was light, and the next there was none.

Ezra and Carys lit up the room while Meloetta and Pelipper went to grab the candles and flashlights.

Once everything was lit up, the group took turns telling scary stories. After an hour they heard the unmistakable sound of a tree falling to the ground. A deep _boom_ shook the building, and everyone raced to the window to see where it landed.

At first they couldn't see anything, but a brilliant flash of lightning lit the town up long enough for them to see that the tree had fallen into town square, narrowly missing Kangaskhan's house.

Uneasily, they returned to waiting out the storm.

As the day passed, lightning struck the building twice. In both instances the roof amazingly held, and any possible fires were no doubt extinguished quickly by the rain. However, three fierce leaks arose. One in the kitchens, the other in Team Siren's room, and the third in the vacant room next to Team Banshee's quarters. Buckets were put underneath the leaks, and the residents routinely switched them out whenever they got too full.

A few more trees fell, but they sounded distant. The windows rattled something fierce over the course of the day, but to everyone's relief nothing caused them to shatter.

Eventually, as the wind howled above and lightning strikes were occurring every few seconds, it was time for bed. The residents had a paltry meal of berries, and they all retired to their dark rooms. Team Siren moved to a vacant room, as theirs still had a leak. They set up a watch every hour, so the buckets could be drained and replaced. Team Banshee was scheduled to wake up at six in order to change the buckets.

It was difficult falling asleep to the sounds of the storm's wrath above, but somehow everyone managed.

* * *

**It's been a while since there's been a filler chapter. Apologies if anything looks off.**

**And so we kick off the post-story with a powerful storm four months later! The stage is now set; what of the actors and plot? That shall come soon, very soon! :D**

**The next post shall include: Rescues galore, an old client, and exciting news.**


	78. Chapter 78

The next day, Ezra and Carys were woken by Ivysaur and Pelipper at precisely six o'clock in the morning. Yawning profusely, the duo stumbled out of bed, and one by one they proceeded to dump the very full buckets outside. They put the three buckets back underneath the leaks, and they settled back into bed for a few more hours of sleep.

A couple hours later, they woke up once more. Realizing what today meant, the duo immediately jumped out of bed and raced into the commons room, where most of the other residents were. Ezra peered out the window, and saw that the rain had lessened greatly. However, she could see multiple tree branches and mud covering the streets of Lily Town.

The exploration teams all gulped down a quick breakfast, and they all raced outside to see how they could help.

Compared to what the reports from the northeast were saying, Lily Town had gotten off lightly. A giant tree had fallen in the middle of town square, its leafy canopy blocking most of the path. Hundreds of tree branches littered the ground, and mud covered _everything_. Sora's Library and Jumpluff's hut appeared to have been struck by lighting as well, judging by the scorch marks on the two buildings. Giant puddles covered the entrance to the town, and a couple power lines had snapped. Luckily, Sora was busy holding them away from the water and residents with Psychic.

All in all, it was a complete mess.

"Make way! Injured Pokemon coming through!" a voice at the entrance to town called out. Ezra looked, and saw the Bravo Specials splashing through the water, carrying an unconscious Monferno between them.

"When did you guys find him?" Ezra asked incredulously.

"About an hour ago, over in Secret Valley. When it was time for our shift, we decided to stay awake and get an early start on rescues. Good thing, too. When we found him, a Karrablast, Metang, and Honchkrow were attacking him. We drove them off, but we couldn't catch them," Grayson the Zangoose answered her as they walked over to the library.

"Hey, Sora? You busy?" Roman called over. Sora nodded absentmindedly.

"Wanda?" The Reuniclus called, and his apprentice took over while he escorted the Specials inside.

"Yeesh. Look at this place," Chrysi commented, coming over.

"Some of us should stay and help clean up," suggested Trina.

"Good call," Marcus nodded in approval as the exploration teams drew into a huddle. "Me and my team shall stay in town,"

"So will we," added Milana.

"Carys and I will rescue Pokemon," Ezra volunteered.

"We shall stay, Noibat and I," Seadra said quietly.

"We'll go out, too," Meloetta grinned at Team Banshee.

"We're taking on missions as well," Cave reported. Marcus nodded.

"Then it's settled. Good luck to everyone," the Abra nodded, and the teams dispersed to their tasks.

As everyone had predicted, the bulletin boards were crowded with rescue requests and outlaw reports. There were five jobs that took place in Sunset Beach, so Team Banshee took them all.

They borrowed two apples and two Oran Berries from Franziska in order to supplement the ones they donated yesterday. While they were out, they'd look for more food as well.

With everything settled, they set out for the beach.

* * *

**Sunset Beach ( watch?v=j_7bgBj8tBI)**

**1F**

Well. It had certainly been a while since they'd last been in here. Last time they'd been here, it had been to stop Glace and Caine from going to the Dark side.

"Huh, I see this place hasn't changed much," commented Ezra, looking around. For a water-type dungeon, it was awfully nice.

The ground was made of fine sand, and the walls were made of pinkish-orange coral. It was chilly, but that was to be expected in this season. But best of all though, was that there was no rain!

"Yeah. Ready to rescue?" Carys asked.

They had five missions to attend to in this dungeon. The first two jobs were rescue missions on 5F and 7F, respectively. The client on 5F was a Munchlax who'd ran into the dungeon seeking shelter. The one on 7F was a Larvesta who'd accidentally walked into the dungeon, blinded by the torrent of rain.

The mission on 9F, however, was their only outlaw job. According to Firewood City police, who was their client, a Pokemon named Bibarel was allegedly hiding on that floor of this dungeon. Said minor outlaw was wanted for questioning in regards to a string of robberies in the city.

After that, the next rescue was on 14F. A Shiny Persian had apparently decided to go exploring last night, and found that the dungeon was too much for her. Lastly, on 17F, a Darumaka had tried to play the hero and had gone into Sunset Beach to help rescue Pokemon. Unfortunately, he found too late that this dungeon was stronger than he had expected.

"Yup. Let's get to it," Ezra nodded.

Looking forward to doing what they do best, Team Banshee set out.

**2F**

They spawned with a Tentacool and Krabby. Carys launched a Razor Leaf at the Krabby, but it leaped out of the way. Ezra ignored it and turned to the Tentacool.

After staring each other down for a second, it spat a Bubblebeam out at her. Ezra jumped high into the air, dodging the hundreds of bubbles, and threw a Hex back at it as she began to fall. The Tentacool was unable to dodge, and the attack was strong enough to knock it out.

Ezra landed gracefully on the ground just as Carys finished up her own fight.

Grinning to each other, the duo walked out of the chamber.

**3F**

When they spawned on this floor, Ezra noticed that a Luminous Orb was with them as well.

She broke it, and followed the mental map to the Stairs.

**4F**

As they rounded a corner in a hallway, they found a Gastrodon heading in the same direction they were going in.

Ezra briefly jumped into the wall to allow Carys to stealthily one-hit KO it with Razor Leaf. It never even knew what hit it.

**5F**

The Stairs had spawned with them, but they weren't looking for the Stairs right now. This was their first stop, as evidenced by the _ping!_ their badges made.

They set forth, on the lookout for their client.

They found him a few minutes later, wandering aimlessly around a large chamber. He broke into a sob of relief as he spotted the duo coming for him.

"Oh thank Arceus! I thought I'd never get out of here!" he wailed.

"Don't worry, you're safe now. Meet us in Lily Town in a bit," Carys smiled at him as she beamed him out of the dungeon.

With that done, they went back to the room with the Stairs.

**6F**

This time, they spawned with a Pelipper.

"Oh, hey, we know a Pelipper back home!" Carys beamed at it. It responded by spitting Brine at her.

Carys grunted, but otherwise didn't seem hurt.

"And he's a lot nicer than you," she stormed as she and Ezra KO'd it together with Shadow Ball and Night Shade.

**7F**

_Ping! _Their next client, Larvesta, was actually in the second chamber they came to.

"Oh! The famous Team Banshee?! I never thought I'd ever get to meet you two!" she exclaimed upon spotting them.

"It's our pleasure! Ready to be rescued?" Ezra asked her, grinning.

"Oh, _yes please._ I can't believe I accidentally stumbled into a water-type dungeon, out of all places!" the fire/bug-type sighed angrily as she was beamed out of the dungeon.

**8F**

"Steers. Wait…" Carys paused.

**9F**

_Ping!_

They didn't see Bibarel when they spawned, but that didn't mean he wasn't around. Cautiously, the team explored the floor, searching for the minor outlaw.

Finally, they found him. Rather, they found each other.

Team Banshee had been rounding a 90-degree corner when they bumped into the Pokemon. After a moment's pass, they realized who the other party was, and all three scrambled to their feet.

"Uh, uh, Flame Burst!" shouted Ezra, hastily launching the attack.

"Would you not?" Bibarel winced as he was struck by the attack. He dove at Ezra, intending to Take her Down. She responded simply by walking into the wall. Carys followed suit, and their foe crashed onto the ground.

"No faaaaiiirr!" whined Bibarel as he got back up.

The duo said nothing, only pummeled him with a combined Razor Leaf and Flame Burst. Bibarel crumpled, and didn't get back up again. He was automatically rejected from the dungeon, having fainted inside.

Ezra and Carys pressed on. A couple officers from Firewood City were waiting outside the dungeon just for this moment.

**10F**

A Tentacruel had spawned in with them. It started off the fight with a Bubblebeam aimed at Ezra. Ezra winced as she was struck, and she wobbled for a bit before regaining her balance.

In retaliation, she threw a Night Shade at it.

The Tentacruel responded by setting up a purple Barrier that raised its defense. But...Night Shade was a special attack…

The Night Shade shattered the Barrier, striking the Tentacruel mercilessly. Miraculously, it survived, but a quick regular attack from Carys ensured that it didn't last long.

**11F**

When they entered a small chamber, they found a Krabby and Carracosta inside. The Krabby was closer, so Ezra naturally decided to barbecue it in her Inferno. However, when she tried to call up the power, something snapped and she wasn't able to transfer it to her flame.

She scowled. She thought she was over this problem. Oh well. Time for Plan B.

The Krabby attempted to strike her with Metal Claw, but Ezra weaved out of the way and retaliated with Night Shade. Following up with another Night Shade, her foe was quickly defeated.

She turned to watch the Carracosta dodge Carys' Razor Leaf. Ezra helped out by distracting it with Hex. When it turned to see just where in the heck it was being attacked from, Carys took advantage and KO'd it with Shadow Ball.

"Thanks," Carys nodded.

**12F**

They entered a chamber, and began crossing it to the path on the other side. As they did, Ezra accidentally stepped on a Trip Trap. However, because of her Trap Scarf, the trap didn't trigger.

"Hah!" she gloated.

**13F**

"I care about the fare of Stairs!" Carys declared.

**14F**

_Ping! _They spawned with both a Krabby, and their Shiny client.

The Krabby scuttled towards their yellow client, lifting its pincers menacingly.

"No you don't!" Ezra yelled as she and Carys took care of it with Flame Burst and Shadow Ball.

"Oh, goodness. Thank you," Persian said, blinking in surprise. She gracefully padded over.

"I thought I would be daring and explore this dungeon while the storm raged above, but alas, it proved to be a bad idea," she continued, sighing.

"Well, you're safe now," consoled Ezra as she brought out her badge.

"Yes, very true. I shall meet you both in Lily Town," Persian inclined her head in agreement, and Ezra beamed her out.

"One more," Ezra said to Carys.

**15F**

They found a Tentacruel and Kingler whilst wandering down a hall. Ezra phased into the wall, since she was weak to both Pokemon. She was strong enough that her type disadvantage didn't matter much here, but better safe than sorry.

Carys started off the fight with Confuse Ray, but the Tentacruel closed its eyes in response to the twirling lights. It reopened its eyes and fired orange globs of Acid Spray onto Carys, who grimaced at being covered in the goop.

"Gross!" she complained as she defeated the foe with Razor Leaf.

Ezra nonchalantly hit the Kingler with Flame Burst as an appetizer. Carys rapidly delivered the main course, Shadow Ball, and they no longer had to worry about the Kingler.

**16F**

A sleeping Carracosta had spawned with them. Ezra decided to sneak past, and thankfully Carys didn't decide to wake it up with Razor Leaf.

**17F**

_Ping! _They found Darumaka, their final client, huddled in a corner in a tiny chamber. He stared warily at the approaching duo.

"Are you a rescue team?" he asked cautiously.

"Yep. Team Banshee," Carys nodded.

"O-oh. Okay. Thanks. I...thought I could help. With the rescues, I mean. I wanted to save Pokemon, so I came in here. Bad idea," he laughed ruefully.

"Well, you won't have to worry about being stuck here any longer," soothed Carys as she warped him out of the dungeon.

With their five missions done, they beamed themselves out as well.

* * *

**Lily Town**

When they arrived back home, they had to pinch themselves to make sure they weren't dreaming.

While it was still raining lightly, the town looked exactly as it had been before the storm hit. No flooding, the trees were upright again, the branches and mud cleared away...aside from the still-broken power lines and scorch marks on the buildings, it was as if the storm had never occurred.

"Is...this real…?" Ezra asked in awe. Mouths agape, they wandered through town, marveling at the lack of destruction.

In town square was a large green and black Pokemon. Zygarde.

"Hello, heroes," she said upon spotting them. Her voice sounded odd, like multiples of her were speaking at the same time. Her voice was definitely feminine though.

"Zygarde! We haven't seen you since the battle with Giratina! What are you doing here?" Carys gasped.

"We are helping. We are the keepers of balance, and right now balance is needed. We have been restoring the land back to how nature intended. Alas, we cannot fix your dens. They are not part of our domain. Only nature is. Our most sincere apologies," Zygarde explained.

"O-oh. Then why aren't you in the northeast? They need you more than we do," Ezra asked. The way Zygarde referred to herself was...odd.

"We are done with that area. The northeast has been largely returned back to the way things were. And so has the rest of the continent, aside from this part. We have been busy, very busy," Zygarde responded.

"But we haven't heard much from the northeast...And why do you refer to yourself as 'we'?" Ezra frowned.

"We are many, but together we make one body," replied Zygarde. That made absolutely no sense to Ezra, but she nodded anyway.

"As for communications, power is still being restored to that area. Like we said, we cannot fix things such as dens and technology. They are still rebuilding over there. The storm was terrible, terrible indeed," Zygarde went on.

"Ah, okay. Where do you go now?" inquired Carys.

"We are done in Lily Town, so we shall go around fixing the surrounding area. We must go now, but we hope to see you two again. Farewell," and with that, she—they?—slithered off.

"That was...something." observed Ezra.

"Team Banshee! Can you believe it? Out town is fixed, for the most part!" Rose said, running towards them.

"Yeah, it's crazy! Sure was nice of Zygarde to fix the ecosystems," nodded Ezra.

"Yes! Well, I'm sure you two have rewards to collect I'll see you soon," Rose grinned, and began walking towards the markets.

When the duo entered the Lofts, they found their clients waiting for them. Munchlax stepped forward.

"Thank you for saving me. I thought I was a goner. Have this as a token of my thanks," he said solemnly, putting 200 Poke into Ezra's hands. He stepped back, and Larvesta took his place.

"If it wasn't for you two, who knows how long it would've been before I'd have been saved? Thank you!" she exclaimed, gifting them a Max Elixir and a Blast Seed.

"Thanks for capturing Bibarel for us. His bounty is 500 Poke," one of the two Machamp officers guarding Bibarel nodded, giving Carys the money. The two guards escorted their prisoner out of the building.

"Thank you for saving me. I promise not to do such a reckless thing again!" Persian said vehemently, gifting Ezra a Reviver Seed.

Finally, Darumaka stepped forward.

"I've heard nothing but good of Team Banshee, and I'm ecstatic to have witnessed their greatness firsthand. You two are definitely deserving of this," he said, handing over an Encourage Seed.

"All of you are very welcome. Be careful next time, and stay safe!" Ezra waved as the rest of the clients shuffled out the door.

* * *

Later, as the duo were giving Franziska all the apples, Gummis, and berries they'd found while exploring, Hoopa warped into the kitchen.

"Oh, there you are, Ezra and Carys! Sora wants you. The Monferno's woken up, and he's asking for you," Hoopa reported before disappearing.

Confused, the duo headed for the library. They found the Monferno in one of the sick bays, resting in bed. He smiled faintly as he saw them.

"Heya, Team Banshee. Long time no see," he greeted. Ezra paused. She didn't recall knowing a Monferno. Seeing their confusion, he laughed weakly.

"You probably don't recognize me. Remember Chimchar, from Murky Trench in October? That's me," he said. That, however, rang a bell.

"Oh! I remember you! But...you were a Chimchar back then…" Ezra paused. In October they had rescued a Chimchar at the very end of the watery dungeon, saving him from a watery grave. He had wanted to become an explorer, but had unfortunately picked the wrong dungeon to begin his career with.

"Yes! A couple weeks ago, I went to Luminous Spring, and it's working again! I evolved into Monferno! ...Then I got trapped by the storm over by Secret Valley. Ugh. I'm glad the Bravo Specials got me out of there, though. The deviants attacking me just wouldn't leave me alone!Anyways, I just wanted to spread the word that Pokemon can now evolve!" Monferno beamed.

"That's fantastic!" Ezra exclaimed, grinning widely. News like that was just what the continent needed after the storm.

"Isn't it? But that's not all I wanted to speak to you about. You remember how I want to be an explorer? Well...I've given up on that dream. I've realized now that it's just not for me. I'm okay with that, though. Really," he added, upon seeing the beginnings of protests from them. He leaned down and rummaged through his bag before pulling out a tattered piece of paper. From the yellow tint of it, it was very old.

When Ezra unfolded it, she saw a map of the continent, and beside it words written in a language she couldn't decipher.

"This is what the deviants attacking me wanted. I've been trying to discover the secrets of that map for ages, to no avail. But now I think you two should have it. If anyone can unearth its mysteries, it's you two," Monferno smiled.

"Thank you for this. We won't let you down," Ezra nodded solemnly.

"You're welcome. ...If you don't mind, I'm feeling a bit tired. I'd like to rest up now," Monferno requested.

"Of course. See you later," Carys said, then the duo left.

* * *

"So what did Monferno want?" Dyrim asked them over a candlelit dinner.

Quickly, the duo told the explorers the good news, and of the mysterious map they had received.

"We can evolve again?! ...I could become a Wigglytuff, if I wanted to," Ranna mused.

"If you'll give the map to me, I'll try and decode it," offered Franziska. Remembering her skill in decoding the map that led to Hidden Ruins, Carys eagerly gave the fraying parchment to the Dewott.

"Are you two going to evolve?" asked Chrysi.

Ezra thought. She'd be a Lampent if she did decide to evolve. She would float in the air like Carys, and she'd have longer arms, but she'd no longer have a mouth. Also, it would be a lot harder to singe her foes, since her flame would be trapped inside her head.

...No, she was fine with being a Litwick, thank you.

Ezra shook her head at the same time that Carys bellowed, "Heck yes! I would _love_ to be a Gourgeist! I'd actually have arms! And fingers! Do you know how hard it is to function without arms _or_ fingers? It's very difficult!"

"I'll say," mused Seadra, waggling his fins meaningfully. Everyone laughed.

"Well, if you really want to evolve, Carys, then you'll need a Link Cable," Ivysaur said kindly.

"As I recall, there's one on B15F of a dungeon named Frenzied Fields. It's right by Grand Wetland. Normally you'd need a Key to get it, but since you and Ezra are ghost-types, that won't be a problem," added Meloetta.

"Hah, thank you. Once we get the town back to normal, I'll do that," Carys laughed shyly.

"Nah, do it tomorrow," Roman said casually. "Zygarde's fixed most of the town, and we haven't had that big of an influx of rescues. We did a good job of warning folk ahead of time, so not too many Pokemon were caught off-guard. We got this," he explained.

The other teams agreed, and Carys looked at Ezra.

"You wanna?" Carys asked.

"Sure, why not?" Ezra shrugged. A slow grin spread across Carys' face.

"I'm going to evolve tomorrow…" she said, sounding as if she couldn't believe it.

"It's gonna be weird seeing a Gourgeist when I'm used to a Pumpkaboo, but I think you should go for it. After all, you'll still be Carys, just in a different form! You'll be like me," Ezra grinned, putting a hand on Carys' shoulder.

"Yes, you're right! Ohhh, I can't wait!" Carys squealed, squirming with excitement.

"I can't wait," Carys repeated softly.

* * *

**Evolution has been restored, and Pokemon are excited! Who else will take the journey to Luminous Spring?**

**Also, we have a mysterious map! Obviously it must lead to something valuable, since Monferno was attacked because of it. Hm. **

**The next post shall contain: special grass-types, a new body, and a request from Cresselia.**


	79. Chapter 79

The following day, the town woke to a light sprinkling of rain up above. The dark skies were dimming, and hints of blue sky could be seen on the horizon. Of course, it was still freakishly cold outside, but hey, at least the rain had almost stopped.

Team Banshee woke early the next morning, blinking heavily in the soft gray light. Yawning, they stepped out into the commons room, and waited while everyone else awakened.

Once everyone was awake, they sat down to a breakfast of fruit.

"Frenzied Fields is home to grass-types," Meloetta was saying through a mouthful of cherries. "Not just any grass-types, but grass-type families who can learn the ultimate grass-type attack: Frenzy Plant. You'll find families such as the Chikorita, Treecko, and Snivy lines there. All of the fully-evolved Pokemon there—like Venusaur or Chesnaught—know Frenzy Plant, but you two won't have to worry about that, since you're both resistant to grass-type attacks."

"Frenzy Plant in Frenzied Fields...got it," Carys grinned.

"Excited to evolve?" Rose asked kindly as she cut a peach in half.

"Oh, yes! I'm very ready to become a Gourgeist," Carys nodded enthusiastically. Indeed, the Pumpkaboo could hardly sit still in her chair.

"Are you sure you guys don't need us, though?" Ezra asked. It had been very nice of the other exploration teams to let them do their own thing instead of help with rescues, but it wasn't as if Luminous Spring was going anywhere.

"Of course! Don't you worry about us; we can handle one day without you guys," Will, the Treecko from Team Triple S, waved his hand dismissively.

"If you say so," Ezra shrugged.

After breakfast, the duo headed into town, shivering as the cold winter air buffeted them. Most of the shops were open, but all Team Banshee really needed to do was stop by Kangaskhan Storage and Jumpluff Bank.

Luckily, both vendors were open, and as the team walked over to Kangaskhan's venue they observed Sora and an unknown Magneton repairing the broken power lines. Ezra's intrigue piqued. If they were repairing the lines, maybe they'd have power soon!

Two Timburrs were busy hammering new shingles onto the roofs of the buildings struck by lightning. Ezra didn't recognize them either.

"Hello, Team Banshee! Chilly day, huh?" Kangaskhan greeted them as they stepped up to her venue.

"For real! Say, Kangaskhan, do you know who the Magneton and Timburrs are?" inquired Ezra.

"Oh, them? They're from Firewood City, I think. They were sent to help us out. Awfully nice of them," replied Kangaskhan, looking at the three workers.

"That's awesome!" Carys laughed.

"Haha, yes, it is! So, what can I do for you?" the kindly Pokemon asked them.

"We'd like to take out two apples and two Oran Berries, please," Ezra requested. Kangaskhan brought the items to them, and they thanked her.

"Good luck today, you two! Let me know if Luminous Spring really is back up again!" Kangaskhan called after them as they left. Ezra waved a hand to show that she had heard. Last night after dinner, Carys had raced outside and told everyone in town she would be evolving today.

Next up was the bank, where they deposited 2,004 Poke. Jumpluff wished Carys to have a good trip, and with everything settled it was finally time to head out to Frenzied Fields.

* * *

**Frenzied Fields**

The dungeon was located on the west side of the continent, about a few miles from Grand Wetland, which was an hour away from the coast. It was about eleven o'clock when they arrived, and the rain had finally stopped. At least, in this region anyway.

The entrance to the dungeon was surrounded by thick spiky roots the size of a Steelix. They were tan, and provided nutrients to some of the thickest trees Ezra had ever seen. The smallest tree was easily over fifty feet in diameter. They made her feel small, almost invisible. The Creation Trio's sizes were nothing compared to these monstrous trees.

"Well, here we are!" Carys' voice brought Ezra out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Let's see, the Link Cable's on B15F, right?" Ezra asked.

"Yep~" trilled Carys.

"Come on, let's go! Time for me to evolve!" Carys laughed, racing merrily into the grassy dungeon.

Amused, Ezra followed.

**B1F ( watch?v=zVo6F_kFW_c)**

The duo found themselves in a very green room. Grass as tall as Ezra's chest grew untamed, and thick roots made up the walls. Vines grew along these roots, and tiny purple flowers could be seen growing on the vines.

Ezra had to push _through_ the thick tall grass in order to maneuver around.

"Ugh, I bet you this place is hell in spring," she frowned. All that pollen being released as she walked through the grass...no thank you.

"I'm just surprised the grass is still here in the middle of December," Carys commented, wiggling her feet in the grass.

"Dungeon rules, I'm assuming. Oh well. Come on, we have a Link Cable to find," Ezra said, wading through the brush.

**B2F**

Their first foe on this floor was a Grotle. It glared at them menacingly as they walked over to it.

Ezra tried out a Flame Burst, curious to see how strong this foe would be. To her astonishment, it fainted when the Flame Burst hit it.

"Uhh…" she faltered, not expecting that at all. At the very least, she was expecting to have to use two moves in order to defeat it.

"Easy dungeons are best dungeons!" Carys declared.

With that interesting revelation out of the way, they pressed forward.

**B3F**

This time, their foe was a Serperior blocking their way in a hallway. Carys ducked into the wall next to Ezra in order to assist.

As Meloetta had warned, the Serperior kicked off the fight with Frenzy Plant. A green aura surrounded it, and without pause it jammed its tail into the ground.

The earth trembled, and presently giant brown roots with spikes on them rose from the ground.

"Oh," Ezra whimpered in a small voice as the humongous roots towered over her.

Then, without warning, the roots violently lashed Ezra, so hard that she saw her life flash before her eye as she was sent flying down the hallway. She crashed into the far wall, and she hit the ground in a pained, collapsed heap. She lay there, in too much pain to even think, let alone move.

Nope. She didn't like this dungeon anymore.

With a huge grimace she got back to her feet. Even though it hurt to walk she staggered back towards the fight, where Carys was busy avenging her from the wall. The Serperior dodged her Shadow Ball, and began Coiling itself up, raising its attack, defense and accuracy.

Ezra managed to toss a Flame Burst at it successfully, and the foe turned to face her. It then sent out a large transparent beam of green energy right at her.

She dodged—it was more like a flop, really—out of the way of the Giga Drain, and shot off a Night Shade. The Serperior flicked its tongue in annoyance, and without looking away from Ezra it easily dodged Carys' Shadow Ball. However, it didn't realize that she had sent another one in the direction it was dodging.

It fell to the ground, and so did an exhausted Ezra.

Ezra gladly accepted Carys' Oran Berry. And cautiously the duo pressed on.

**B4F**

"Woo, Stairs!" cheered Carys.

Ezra looked, and spotted the vine-covered stone Stairs to her right.

**B5F**

There was a Bulbasaur and Grovyle in a hallway. Carys danced into the wall to help. The Bulbasaur dodged Ezra's Night Shade, and began emitting a green powder from its bulb. As the powder settled around Ezra, she began to feel exhausted.

_Oh, that was Sleep Powder,_ she thought hazily, right before she fell asleep.

While she slept, she could feel something sharp and painful hitting her over and over again. Suddenly, the pain ceased, and presently she woke back up.

Groggily, she opened her eyes, blinking away the sleep. All she could see was grass. Yawning, she got up, and remembered with a jolt that she had been in the middle of a battle. But when she looked around, only Carys was there.

"... Defeated them all while I was asleep?" Ezra guessed, wincing at a bruise on her side that had not been there when she had fallen asleep.

"You got it," winked Carys.

**B6F**

"Say, Carys," Ezra said as they walked through a chamber, "what makes you want to evolve?"

Carys was silent for a moment as she thought.

"Well, for the most part I'd like to have arms and fingers. But also I'm just...ready to be something new. I've been a Pumpkaboo all my life. Now I'm ready to be a Gourgeist for the rest of it. I've thought long and hard about this decision, even before you came to this world. I made up my mind a while ago. I want to be a Gourgeist," Carys responded.

"What about you?" she added a moment later.

"I'm not ready to become a Lampent or Chandelure just yet," Ezra said as they rounded a corner in a corridor, "I quite like being a Litwick. Maybe someday I'll be ready for a change, like you. But right now, I'm content."

**B7F**

They spawned in with a Meganium. Before it could Frenzy Plant Ezra into oblivion, she hastily threw an Inferno at the flowery foe. In response, it generated a transparent yellow Light Screen, protecting it from most of the damage. Even so, some of the attack broke through the barrier and onto the foe.

Carys added her own Shadow Ball to the mix, and the Meganium retaliated by pulsing the telltale green aura.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Ezra screamed, desperately throwing all her strength into a Flame Burst.

The attack landed squarely on the enemy's head as it was charging up the attack. In a flash the green aura dissipated, and the Meganium fell to the floor in a heap.

"_Thank. Arceus,_" Ezra wheezed, catching her breath. Getting hit with Frenzy Plant even once was more than enough for her.

**B8F**

Carys stared intently at the Stairs.

**B9F**

Ezra and Carys stepped into a large room filled with Wonder Tiles and Gummis. Oh boy.

**Monster House!**

They braced themselves as three Turtwigs, a Sceptile, two Bayleefs, a Bulbasaur, two Quilladins, a Servine, and two Venusaurs fell from the roof.

Ezra, getting an idea, immediately sent out a large volley of Flame Burst at everyone. The attack spread into multiple bullets of fire at everyone, instantly KOing the Turtwigs and Bulbasaur.

That left only the Sceptile, Bayleefs, Quilladins, Servine, and Venusaurs.

Carys grinned wickedly as she sent a Confuse Ray out at the nearest foe, which was a Venusaur. Meanwhile, the other enemies drew closer.

Ezra sent out another Flame Burst, managing to KO one of the Quilladins. The Servine and other Venusaur dodged, and the rest endured the blow.

The confused Venusaur began emitting a green aura, and the ground began shaking. Ezra tensed as the giant brown spiky roots rose from the ground. However, the confused Venusaur directed the massive attack at the Sceptile, causing it to stumble backwards in surprise.

The two Bayleefs sent out colorful Magical Leaves, which honed in on Ezra. The Litwick countered by sending out another Flame Burst that burned most of the leaves. A few survived and whipped at her body, but at least she had lessened the damage.

The remaining Quilladin launched itself at her, its right arm glowing pale green. Ezra simply roasted it with yet another Flame Burst before it could slap her with its Needle Arm. Carys threw a Shadow Ball over the downed foe onto the Servine. It fell back, unconscious.

Only the Bayleefs, Venusaurs, and Sceptile left.

Ezra prepared her Inferno, willing power to rise to her flame. To her immense pleasure, something clicked and the blue ball of fire formed in front of her flame. She launched the beam of blue fire at the non-confused Venusaur, who was too big and burly to get out of the way.

Although it was one of the strongest in the room, it could not hold up to the powerful attack. It fainted.

The other Venusaur had recovered from its confusion by now, and the Sceptile had also recovered from being hit by Frenzy Plant. The latter evaded Carys' Confuse Ray, and its arms began glowing white. It held its arms in an x-shape, and rushed at Carys.

The Pumpkaboo let out a squeak of fear, and threw herself out of the way, narrowly dodging the super-effective X-Scissor.

Ezra tiredly sent out a Flame Burst at it, and Carys sent out a Shadow Ball at the Sceptile at the same time.

Thankfully, it fainted.

Ezra wailed as she was hit by two more Magical Leaves from the Bayleefs. Angrily, she turned to the two Leaf Pokemon, and scorched them both with her Flame Burst.

Finally, that left only the Venusaur. It lumbered over until it towered above the two. From its flower, it spat out small white seeds at Ezra, who recognized them as Worry Seeds. An idea spontaneously came to her, and she jumped high into the air, dodging the attack.

She landed squarely on the Venusaur's head, much to its displeasure.

It roared as it summoned up a Frenzy Plant, as Ezra had hoped it would. She braced herself. If she didn't time this right…

The roots arrived, and the Venusaur directed them straight for Ezra atop its head. She waited until the moment was right, then sprang from the foe's head, landed clumsily on the ground.

She turned, and grinned as she watched the Venusaur hit itself with its own Frenzy Plant.

Ezra and Carys quickly dispatched it with Flame Burst and Shadow Ball.

"That. Was. Amazing!" Carys exclaimed, laughing. Tiredly, Ezra grinned back.

**B10F**

Ezra sneezed as a blade of grass tickled her face.

"Y'know, I wish this dungeon would follow the season and just let this damn grass _die_!" she stormed, pushing past hordes of grass.

"Hey, don't work yourself into a _frenzy_ over it," Carys said behind her.

Ezra stopped dead in her tracks, causing Carys to bump into her.

"Apologize for that pun. Right now," Ezra ordered, turning to face Carys.

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not."

"That is true."

**B11F**

To their amusement, they found a Treecko in the next chamber they came to. They patiently waited while the grass-type hurried towards them. When it was within attacking range Ezra headbutted it. The regular attack sent it straight into unconsciousness.

"I like how the first-stage Pokemon are so weak here," chuckled Ezra.

**B12F**

They spawned in with a Torterra. Although it was asleep, Carys decided it would be a great idea to use Shadow Ball on it and awaken it.

"Why?!" Ezra glared at Carys before using Flame Burst on the large foe.

It roared, and presently white sparkles flew down from the air and onto the Torterra's now-glowing tree. Synthesis. _Of _course.

"No. Just no," Ezra scowled at it before setting up an Inferno. Only this time something snapped and she couldn't make the power rise to her flame.

The Torterra gave her an amused look right before it began using Frenzy Plant. However, Carys rapidly impaired it with Confuse Ray.

They decided to book it, rather than fight.

**B13F**

"Thank you, Stairs, for bringing me one floor closer to evolving," Carys grinned at the Stairs.

**B14F**

They found an Ivysaur and Chesnaught roaming around in a hallway. Two branches of the hall appeared to loop back in a circle. It was from this circle the two emerged from.

"Hey, we know an Ivysaur and Chesnaught!" Carys laughed as Ezra quickly surprised the emerging Ivysaur with Flame Burst. It went down, leaving only the Chesnaught.

It got over its surprise at seeing Team Banshee rather quickly, and started off by spitting Shots of Mud at Ezra.

She winced as she was hit with each one, then retaliated with Flame Burst. The foe put up a green Spiky Shield, protecting it from the attack.

But neither the Chesnaught nor Ezra had noticed that Carys had slipped into the wall. Both Pokemon were surprised when a Shadow Ball came whizzing from the wall and onto the Chesnaught.

It stumbled and fell over backwards, not at all expecting an attack from the wall. Carys followed up by Trick-or-Treating, and together she and Ezra finished the foe off with Hex and Shadow Ball.

**B15F**

They quickly found the sealed chamber housing the Link Cable. Carys bounded happily into the chamber, then returned a moment later with the link cable. It turned out to be a silver spool of thick wire. Ezra didn't really know why that was, but she rolled with it.

"Ready?" she smiled at Carys, holding an Escape Orb. Carys' eyes shone, and she nodded wordlessly.

Ezra broke the orb, and a blue beam shone down upon them, warping them out of the dungeon.

They arrived at the entrance, and they jovially set out for Luminous Spring.

* * *

**Luminous Spring**

The spring, once dull and lifeless, now literally shone with energy. The pool of water glowed with animated power, and behind it Celestial Spire stood regally.

"Here we are," Ezra said as they approached the spring. "You ready?"

"Yes," Carys breathed as they stepped up to the spring.

They weren't quite sure what they were supposed to do, so they were not expecting a voice to come from the pool.

"_Welcome. This is Luminous Spring, where Pokemon go to evolve. ...Hold on. I sense someone not from this world. You, Litwick. Come closer," _the disembodied voice from the water said.

Ezra hesitated. Obey this voice or not? Wary and slightly afraid of this unseen entity, Ezra did as it bade.

"_...Ahh, I see. While Arceus is busy repairing the spice-time continuum, there will always be some rifts, due to your presence here," _ the voice said.

Wait, her mere _presence_ was causing rifts in space-time? Fear pulsed through Ezra, and as she opened her mouth to speak, the voice continued.

"_But it is nothing to worry about. The rifts are small, insignificant. Do you wish to evolve, being from another world?" _the voice asked.

O-oh. Uh. That was reassuring…? Not quite sure how to feel, Ezra declined.

"_Very well. I sense another Pokemon with you. You, Pumpkaboo. Do you wish to evolve?" _the spring inquired.

To Ezra's surprise, Carys hesitated. Then she took a deep breath.

"Yes," Carys stated.

"_You will need a Link Cable."_ said the voice.

"We have one," replied Ezra, taking out the spool of wire.

"_Excellent. Wind the Pumpkaboo in the cable, and let her stand in the center._" commanded the spring. Ezra wasn't sure why this was necessary, but she did as the spring wished. Carys, covered in wire, stepped into the pool, and stood in the center.

"_Ready?"_

Carys nodded wordlessly, a look of anticipation on her face.

"_Then let us begin. 3...2...1...GO!"_

A brilliant white light shone down from above, onto Carys. The light blinded Ezra, and she was forced to look away.

When Ezra could look again, Carys was gone, a Gourgeist in her place, and no Link Cable to be seen.

"C-Carys?" Ezra asked hesitantly.

"Did it work?" the small Gourgeist asked fretfully. The voice was definitely Carys' for sure. A few octaves deeper, but there was that ever-present cheerful note to it. No matter what Carys was feeling, there was always a faint, high-pitched peal of cheer in her voice.

"Oh my Arceus, it did!" Ezra laughed, racing into the pool to hug her transformed friend.

Carys looked down at herself, and squealed with joy, raising her new hands up in the air.

"Eeee! You're right!" Carys beamed, reaching out to hug Ezra. "So _this_ is what you feel like! All…all smooth and waxy! Ohhh!"

Carys raced out of the pool, and began touching the various items in the surrounding area. She scooped up a handful of water, felt the grass below, ran a hand along Celestial Spire.

"It's like I've been blind my whole life, and now I can finally see…" Carys said dreamily, feeling the rough texture of a twig.

"How is it being a Gourgeist?" grinned Ezra, wading out of Luminous Spring.

"Amazing! I feel so much more...whole. Granted, I feel a bit strange, being in this new body, but overall I feel great. Let's go back home and show everyone!" Carys suggested, clapping her hands delightedly.

Ezra laughed, and they went back home. Carys spent the trip holding all of the items in their bag, plus whatever they passed along the way.

* * *

**Lily Town**

The town oohed and aahed at the newly-evolved Carys, complimenting her new form. Carys eagerly shook hands with each and every town member for the first time in her entire life. To say Carys was ecstatic was an understatement. There wasn't a word that described the pure _joy_ the Gourgeist felt.

Ezra was quite happy for her friend. She was still getting used to seeing Carys' new form, but she knew she'd soon get used to it.

As the town went back to its duties, Ezra and Carys walked home to the Lofts. The Pokemon from Firewood City had left, leaving behind brand-new roofs and power lines. They had also fixed the power outage, it seemed, judging from the lights coming from the shopkeepers' huts.

Lily Town had recovered, and was ready to serve the community once more.

Ezra found herself smiling from ear-to-ear (figuratively, of course), pleased by the day's events. She looked forward to the future, eagerly awaiting what it had to offer. What new challenges would it hold? She couldn't wait to find out.

She was still grinning as they walked into the Lofts. Most of the other Pokemon were in the commons room, and once they saw who had arrived they all jumped up to see the duo.

"Oh, Carys! You look wonderful!" Rose beamed, high-fiving Carys.

"You seem quite happy," observed Franziska.

"How was it? Did evolving hurt?" Noibat asked timidly.

As the residents peppered Carys with questions, Ezra noticed Meloetta standing in the corner. She was staring at Carys, and had a sorrowful look on her face. Ezra went over to her.

"You okay?" Ezra asked, concerned. Meloetta blinked in surprise.

"What? O-oh. Yeah, I'm fine. I was just...thinking about something," Meloetta replied. Ezra wasn't convinced, but decided not to push it.

"What's going on?" a new voice asked. Ezra turned, and saw a Froakie enter from the refectory. Wait...she knew this Froakie!

"Kiro? Is that you?" Ezra asked. The Froakie looked over, and nodded, smiling faintly.

"Yes. Ezra, right? It's been quite a while," he said.

She hadn't seen Kiro of Team Tempest in months. From what she could recall, the Froakie was difficult to get to open up, but once he did he was quite a charming Pokemon.

"Hello Kiro!" Carys called.

"Carys, right? ...Weren't you a Pumpkaboo when I saw you last?" Kiro asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Yup! I evolved today~" Carys beamed. Kiro's eyes went wide.

"Luminous Spring is back?! Ohhh, I might have to take a trip there soon," he mused.

Once the residents had settled down, they all went to a lovely dinner of thick vegetable soup over rice with salad. For dessert, Franziska had made a cake shaped and frosted like a Gourgeist, with gumdrop eyes and and a red licorice mouth. Carys was delighted, to say the least, and bravely embraced Franziska in thanks. The Dewott, although looking positively horrified at the close physical contact, endured the hug wordlessly, awkwardly patting Carys on the back in return.

That night, after Ezra had closed her eyes, she woke to find herself in a lush forest with Carys, and Cresselia and Xerneas!

"Hello, heroes. ...Did you evolve, Carys?" Cresselia asked the Gourgeist quizzically.

"Yep~" trilled Carys.

"Well, ya look _great_, kiddo!" declared Xerneas proudly. Cresselia glared at him before turning back to Team Banshee.

"_Anyway,_ I'm sorry for such short notice, but we need your help," Cresselia said solemnly.

"What's wrong?" asked Ezra.

"The Lunar Wind tells me that Zekrom, a Dark legendary that evaded arrest following the Battle for the Dark Compound, has finally deemed it safe enough to return home. Normally I or Xerneas would go out and apprehend him, but…" Cresselia sighed heavily.

"Now that the war is over, Darkrai and I are back to our ceaseless struggle over the dreams of Pokemon. Right now he and his disciples the Unknown are wreaking havoc in the east. I'd be outnumbered, so I'm taking the Lunar Wind and we are going out tomorrow to put an end to their shenanigans," she explained.

"What about Xerneas?" inquired Carys.

"I'm house-sitting," Xerneas explained jovially.

"It would be just like Darkrai to lure me away from my home, and invade it while I'm unable to defend it. I cannot allow that to happen, but I also cannot allow the unending nightmares to continue. So, Xerneas is guarding my home for me until I put Darkrai back in his place," Cresselia corrected.

"If Darkrai _does_ invade your home, can't you just take it back from him once you're done in the east?" asked Ezra. Something didn't seem quite right...

"_NO!_" Cresselia shrieked. Then, more calmly, "I have secrets that lie in my home dungeon. Secrets that I trust Xerneas with, and cannot be shown to the world, let alone Darkrai. I _cannot_ take the chance and allow them to escape. It's too dangerous."

"O-oh. Okay. Uh...so where is Zekrom?" stammered Ezra. Cresselia looked grateful at the change of subject, and presently she turned the background into a map of the continent.

She floated over to a dark spot about 50 miles from Snowy Crevice and Frigid Tundra.

"This is Dark Fissure," she announced. "This is where Zekrom lives. It's 25 floors. Unfortunately, it echoes quite loudly in there, so it'll be too easy to let Zekrom know you're coming. Try to be as quiet as you can. My business with Darkrai shouldn't take more than a day, so when you defeat him, fall asleep with the Lunar Wing and I'll send the Lunar Wind over to pick him up. He shouldn't be too difficult for you both to handle," reported Cresselia.

"He hates hearing facts, so you could always annoy him with that. _I _certainly would," Xerneas added helpfully, sitting on top of Snowy Crevice.

"Yes, he is a little bit...strange...in that case. He likes creativity, and hates rules and structure. Hm, you might want to use that to your advantage, now that I think about it," Cresselia said thoughtfully.

"We'll keep that in mind. Oh, and Xerneas? Have you...have you considered giving immortality to Arceus? It was so close to death when I fought Formora…" Ezra hesitated.

"Mm, yeah, me and the Big Cheese spoke about it shortly after 'Mora's death. I told It that if It can stay alive for 485 years, then yeah, I'll do it." Xerneas nodded.

"Why that long?" asked Carys.

"Unless I decide to commit suicide, that's how many more years I have left to live. Remember Yveltal, how he decided to go the sore-loser route and kill everything when he died? I normally make forests appear when I die, but I can also give immortality at the end of my 1,000-year lifespan. Then I sleep for another 1,000, then I reincarnate," he explained.

"Wait, you're 515 years old?!" demanded Ezra, astounded.

"Yup," Xerneas winked.

"Aw, I wish I was immortal," Carys grumbled.

"You already are," Cresselia informed. When they looked at her in confusion, she continued, "Not physically, at least. But you're going to be remembered forever as the two Pokemon who saved the Original One and the world. Only a handful of Pokemon are remembered eternally. Team Quintessence, or Team Vitality, for example. Both teams lived centuries ago, and yet we still recall their names. That will happen to you two long after you depart from this world. So, yes, in a sense you _are_ immortal."

The duo were stunned as they realized the truth of Cresselia's words. Their deeds would be retold for eons, like other famous Pokemon before them. It was...staggering, to say the least.

"We will leave you now, but we hope to see you again. Good luck tomorrow," Cresselia nodded formally as she ended the dream.

* * *

**Carys is sure enjoying her new sense of touch, isn't she? I don't blame her. So, Zekrom thinks it's safe to return home, huh? Not on Team Banshee's watch! **

**The next post shall include: a new move, an empty dungeon, and lots of echoes.**


	80. Chapter 80

The following day, Ezra woke up to find a Gourgeist sleeping in Carys' bed. She bolted upright in shock before sheepishly recalling that Carys had evolved the previous day. She looked at the clock on their wall and saw that it was 9 o'clock.

She looked outside, and managed to catch a glimpse of a cloudy sky through the thick layer of frost on the window. Ezra turned and gently shook Carys awake.

"Whuzgoinon…?" Carys mumbled, blinking her eyes open.

"Gotta take down Zekrom today, remember?" Ezra informed. With a groan, Carys got up, rubbing her eyes.

"*Yawn*...Right, right. Les' go eat, an' then we'll leave," Carys yawned as they headed to the cafeteria.

There they saw Rose sipping a cup of coffee while reading a newspaper. She looked up when the duo entered.

"Good morning! How'd you both sleep?" the Leavanny asked kindly.

"Not too badly. Cresselia and Xerneas came calling. They want us to arrest Zekrom, so that's what we'll be up to today," Ezra replied as Franziska came out of the kitchen with a basket of hot biscuits. Ezra took a plate and three biscuits, and began spreading strawberry jam on the food.

"Oh my, I do hope you'll be careful. I'm sure the remnants of the Dark aren't too happy with either you two or Cresselia and Xerneas," Rose said worriedly.

"I'm sure it'll be fine; Cresselia wouldn't task us with this if she thought it would be too much for us. Although...what type is Zekrom? I've never heard much about him," Carys asked while trying to cut open a biscuit. She was holding the flat side of the blade to the biscuit.

"Here, like this," Rose leaned over to show Carys how to hold the knife. "Zekrom is tall and black, and has a blue tail when he's attacking. And I do believe he is a dragon type…"

"Dragon/electric," Franziska corrected as she came out of the kitchen, holding the map Team Banshee had given her to decode.

"Ah, dragon/electric. Thank you, Franziska," Rose nodded graciously at the cook. Franziska waved a hand lazily at Rose. Then she turned to Team Banshee, holding out the map. Meanwhile, Team Siren entered and sat down for breakfast.

"Took me a while, but I've decoded the words. They read, 'On the Crescent Isle, thou must follow the trail/For one of pure heart to find the Nether Veil'," the Dewott said. The sound of glass shattering made them turn, and they found Meloetta staring at them, a horrified look on her face and a broken glass of orange juice below her.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked fretfully as Franziska ran to grab a mop.

"The Nether Veil. That's...Giratina's special item. If he were to have that in his possession, he'd be nearly unstoppable!" Meloetta whispered.

"But Giratina's asleep, thanks to Darkrai and Cresselia," protested Ezra as Franziska began mopping up the spilled juice and glass shards.

"Yes, but if one of his remaining followers were to bring it to him, he'd have enough strength to break the sleep seal on him! Roman said that the Monferno who gave it to you had been attacked, right? The Pokemon attacking Monferno must've known that the map holds the key to finding the Nether Veil!" Meloetta insisted.

"But the map doesn't really give any good clues as to where the Nether Veil is hiding," argued Carys.

"Actually, it does," said Franziska, pausing in her mopping to point at the map.

"The Crescent Isle is undoubtedly the Dark Island. See the shape?" Franziska pointed at the crescent-shaped island that housed Hidden Ruins, Eternal Tower, and the remains of the Dark compound.

"Also, there was one mark I couldn't identify. This skinny triangle with a circle on top of it. But written under it is the word 'follow'. This must be related to the 'trail' mentioned in the poem," she continued.

"But the only triangular thing I saw on the island was the mountain," Ranna frowned. An idea came to Ezra.

"Oh…" She said. "The mountain...could be the triangle….and the sun could be the circle…" she said faintly.

"Perhaps. Even so, it is good that this map is out of the Dark's hands," Franziska nodded.

"The Nether Veil was hidden away when Giratina first rebelled all those years ago. It hasn't been seen since, but obviously someone made a map telling how to find it again...Can we agree not to speak of this? If word gets out…" Meloetta shuddered. Everyone agreed, and soon Team Banshee got ready to depart for Dark Fissure.

They deposited their money, and took out an Escape Orb and the Lunar Wing. With that done, they set out.

* * *

**Dark Fissure **

It must've been 5 o'clock when they finally arrived at the dungeon. Despite it being so early, the sky was dark, and up above thunder boomed almost incessantly. They found a set of crumbling stairs leading down into a black, seemingly bottomless fissure.

"Oh...that looks scary," gulped Carys, peering over the edge. A particularly loud clap of thunder made her jump.

"And so was that!" Carys yelped.

"Hopefully the thunder will mask our journey here. Shall I go first?" offered Ezra.

"Please," nodded Carys nervously.

**B1F ( watch?v=YjaHBTH3qJY)**

They found themselves in a dark area. Sheer obsidian walls boxed them in, and the floor was a deep azure stone that was almost black. A few shards of iridescent crystal littered the floor. The atmosphere was moist and murky, and they could still hear the thunder above. Ezra disliked it almost instantly.

"Geez, what a depressing place," she commented, looking around.

"But intimidating!" Carys chimed in loudly.

_Dating…..dating….dating…._

The duo jumped at the echo. Cresselia hadn't been kidding when she had warned them of the abundance of echoes.

"We'll have to be quiet. We can't let Zekrom know we're here," Ezra muttered cautiously, tensing.

"Yeah. Let's see, he's a dragon/electric-type, so we'll have to stick with our ghost-type moves. No prob; I'll just take him Trick-or-Treating! Plus we have seeds," Carys whispered, nodding her head.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's hurry and put it to action," Ezra nodded as well.

**B2F**

They spawned in with an Electrode and Jolteon. The Electrode started off with Light Screen, raising its special attack and special defense. The Jolteon began with Thunder Wave, sending a weak electrical current at Ezra.

The Shiny Litwick nimbly evaded the attack, and countered with Flame Burst, which spread to include the Electrode. The latter, before getting hit by the Flame Burst, had just been hit with Carys' Shadow Ball.

Both foes recoiled from the blows, and they each sent out a Discharge. The multiple bolts of energy found each of their marks, and the two women screamed as they were electrocuted. Their cries reverberated throughout the chamber.

After the attack ended, the duo tiredly threw a Shadow Ball and Hex at the Electrode and Jolteon, respectively.

Once the foes had recovered from the damaging blows, the Electrode, for whatever reason, decided it would be a fantastic idea to use Explosion.

It glowed an opaque white, and subsequently blew itself up, damaging everyone in the room. Both foes fainted, while Ezra and Carys were thrown to the ground by the force of the blast.

Stunned, the duo lay there. After a few moments, they got up, and ate an Oran Berry each.

They moved onwards.

**B3F**

As Ezra and Carys entered a chamber, Ezra saw to her delight that a Blue Gummi was in the room. Carys spotted it too, and groaned. She knew where this was heading.

Ezra graciously ate the Gummi wordlessly, saying only the word, "Watermelon?" to Carys before continuing.

**B4F**

When Ezra walked into a large-ish room, she spotted a Plusle heading in her direction. Ezra stepped inside the room in order to allow Carys to stand by her side.

The Plusle, upon reaching the duo, began dancing in an odd rhythm that compelled Ezra to join it. As she participated in this strange Entrainment, she felt her flame extinguish.

"Hey!" she protested, still dancing. She tried wildly to get her fire to reignite, but despite her efforts it remained out.

"It turned your Flash Fire and Flame Body into Plus," explained Carys as she broke the Plusle's dance with Razor Leaf. Ezra was freed from the compulsion.

"I don't like it!" Ezra exclaimed as she added her Flame Burst to the mix. She felt strange not having her flame lit on her head. It was like losing an arm, or leg.

The Plusle cried out as the two attacks hit it. It stumbled briefly, but managed to stay upright. Glaring at Ezra and Carys, the small electric-type began emitting a large yellow bolt of electricity straight at Ezra.

She jumped out of the way of the Thunder, spun on her feet, and landed a solid Night Shade onto the Plusle.

It went down instantly.

The Thunder caused a loud _boom _as it struck the spot Ezra had been a second ago. The sound echoed dully throughout the room, causing the duo to wince.

After a moment, though, the pressed on. To Ezra's delight, her flame reignited a moment later.

**B5F**

"Satires! Wait…" Carys whispered loudly, then paused.

**B6F**

An Emolga and Jolteon were in the hall blocking their way. Ezra phased into the wall to tackle the Jolteon. It couldn't really do much but dodge.

It ducked and weaved away from all of her attacks. Eventually, Ezra gave up and focused on the Emolga, who was giving Carys some trouble.

The Gourgeist had used Trick-or-Treat, and the foe had followed up with Encore. Now Carys could only use Trick-or-Treat or a regular attack. Ezra got its attention with Hex. The Emolga squeaked loudly, then turned to see who was attacking it.

Ezra greeted it with a Night Shade, and it was down, leaving only the elusive Jolteon. Carys happily used Trick-or-Treat on it, and her Encore ended.

The Jolteon evaded Carys' Razor Leaf, and sent out a Thunder in return. As Carys dealt with it, Ezra snuck behind it and phased back into the hallway, where she nailed the foe with Hex.

The Jolteon whirled around, and as it turned its back on Carys, the latter defeated it with Shadow Ball.

"The Double Team Special: always a win," Ezra commented to Carys.

**B7F**

They seemed to have spawned in with a Dragonair. The serpentine foe began running around in circles, raising its speed with its Agility. Carys responded by using Trick-or-Treat, laughing as candy appeared onto the battlefield.

The Dragonair didn't seem to mind, and a spiral stream of water appeared out of nowhere and around its long tail. Ezra knew what was about to happen, and as she turned to dodge she felt the Aqua Tail slam into her back, sending her face-first into the wall.

Her senses flooded with pain, and she slowly slid down the wall and onto the ground, where she let out a weak moan.

"Ezra!" Exclaimed Carys.

_Ezra…..Ezra…..Ezra…._

Ezra could hear Carys grunt, as if she were launching an attack. When the former could move again, she got slowly to her feet, rubbing her face. If she didn't have a black eye tomorrow, she'd eat her Trap Scarf.

She turned around, just in time to watch Carys knock the breath out of the Dragonair with Shadow Ball. The Dragon Pokemon responded by surrounding itself in a transparent blue light. It then rushed at Carys, and before Ezra could blink, the Gourgeist was also sent flying.

Ezra said nothing, only threw a Hex at the Dragonair, hoping to get its attention.

Both attack and plan worked, and soon Ezra found herself facing down a Dragon Tail. The end of the foe's tail glowed ice blue, and it quickly moved to slap Ezra silly with it.

As the foe bore down upon Ezra, the latter panicked and shot the foe with Hex. To her amazement, the foe went down.

"Oh," she said incredulously before collapsing. That Dragonair had been _brutal_.

"Oran Berry?" winced Carys as she came over, nursing her own bruises.

"N-no, thank you. I'll walk it off," Ezra declined.

**B8F**

They found a Gabite and Noivern in a chamber. The Gabite was closer, so Carys alerted it to their presence with Razor Leaf. It whipped around, then dove into the ground.

Ezra knew it would target her with its Dig, so she countered by running across the room and towards the Noivern. While running around in circles, Ezra threw multiple attacks at the Noivern. It dodged most of them, only being hit once by her Hex, and began summoning up a Razor Wind.

The Gabite popped up next to her—but she was gone, running back toward Carys.

"Hard to hit a moving target, ain't it?" Ezra taunted, throwing a Night Shade at it. She ceased her sprint, and dodged its Slash.

She beat it over the head with Hex as it tried to catch itself as it fell. One punch from Carys, and it was gone, leaving only the Noivern.

Speaking of, Ezra turned just in time to be hit by the Razor Wind. She stumbled backwards, barely managing to keep herself from falling.

She launched a Flame Burst at it, and the speedy foe evaded, straight into Carys' Confuse Ray. After that, it was only one Shadow Ball and one Hex before they no longer had any foes to worry about.

**B9F**

While in the middle of walking along the side of a tiny chamber, Ezra accidentally stumbled across the Stairs to the Secret Bazaar. Shrugging, the duo entered.

"Welcome to the Secret Bazaar!" beamed Kirlia from her spot in the middle of the bazaar.

Ezra thanked her, but the duo immediately headed for the Stairs to the next floor.

They had a mission to accomplish.

**B10F**

"We have spawned with the Stairs," Carys announced formally. Ezra shook her head wearily.

**B11F**

They had the misfortune to spawn with a Noivern, Emolga, and Electrode. The Electrode, the idiot, started off with Explosion, weakening everyone in the room. The Noivern recovered first and whipped up a vicious Whirlwind that sent Ezra careening into the far wall, where she crashed painfully.

Not even skipping a beat, Ezra ran right back into the battle, singeing all of the foes with a wide volley of Flame Burst. Carys, for her part, administered a Confuse Ray to the annoying Noivern, and followed up with a Razor Leaf to the Electrode's face.

The two electric-types showed their displeasure with a simultaneous Discharge.

Ezra dodged the bolts of electricity, but Carys wasn't as fortunate. She wailed as the current ran through her body.

Ezra quickly avenged her with a Flame Burst at Electrode, KOing it. The Emolga retaliated with Volt Switch, to which Ezra couldn't dodge in time. It created a large ball of electricity above its head, and threw this ball at Ezra. As Ezra was being electrocuted, the Emolga flew to the other side and rammed into Ezra from behind.

Ezra collapsed on the ground, feeling faint. She was _really_ starting to hate electric-types now…

She heard Carys grunt, and a squeak from Emolga told her that the foe had been hit.

"Emolga's down. Just Noivern left," she heard Carys' curt voice.

Groaning, Ezra got to her feet just in time for the Noivern to recover from its confusion. It dodged Carys' initial Shadow Ball, and began raising a Tailwind that coursed throughout the room.

Ezra managed to hit it with Night Shade, and Carys surprised it with Shadow Ball when it turned to deal with Ezra.

It flew right for Carys' face, its fangs elongating into a Super Fang, but Carys narrowly avoided the attack. She defeated the foe with a Shadow Ball to the back, and promptly collapsed.

"You okay?" Ezra called, dragging herself over to her friend.

"Yeah…just need a minute," Carys wheezed.

"I hear ya," Ezra sighed as she plopped down next to Carys.

They rested for a few minutes, then set back out again.

**B12F**

As they turned a corner in a hall, Ezra came face-to-face with a Salamence.

"Oh," she said in a small voice as she stared at the large foe above her.

The Salamence roared, creating a loud echo throughout the floor. It then began leering at Ezra. The Scary Face terrified her, and she felt her legs lock up in fear.

Timidly, she tried throwing a Hex at the intimidating foe. The Salamence didn't even flinch. Instead, its head glowed light blue, and it smacked Ezra with Zen Headbutt.

Ezra was headbutted two entire feet into the earth. Spitting dirt out of her mouth, she climbed out of the hole she made and watched Carys attempt to use Confuse Ray on the foe from the wall.

In response, though, the Salamence Flew up high, so high neither of them could reach it.

It then Flew straight down, and Ezra realized with horror that it was aiming right for her! She tried to run, but her legs just wouldn't move. They'd become paralyzed with fear.

So, Ezra squeezed her eye shut and braced herself.

The pain only lasted for less than a second, but it was excruciating nonetheless. Ezra screamed as her pain receptors went into mega-overdrive. Then she fainted, and the pain ceased abruptly.

When she revived, she immediately dove into the wall opposite Carys. Now the Salamence couldn't do anything. With a cheated snort, it lumbered away, leaving the duo behind.

"Never again," Ezra prayed aloud as she and Carys stepped out from the walls.

Carys put a hand on her shoulder in sympathy.

**B13F**

While wandering through a gigantic room, Ezra accidentally stepped on a Pitfall Trap. However, due to her Trap Scarf, the trap wasn't triggered.

But on the other hand, here was a free—albeit somewhat painful—ticket to the next floor. Ezra looked at Carys, who shrugged.

Ezra decided to trigger the trap. She threw her Trap Scarf at Carys, who deftly caught it. Without the protection from the scarf, Ezra was now vulnerable to traps once more.

She fell through the grate.

**B14F**

She landed squarely on her feet, causing a spasm of pain to zigzag up through her body. Carys materialized next to her a second later.

"Here you are," Carys handed Ezra her Trap Scarf. "Wah!" she exclaimed a second later as a Flamethrower almost roasted her.

The duo turned to see an Eelektrik and Shelgon heading towards them. Ezra tied her scarf back on, and launched a volley of Flame Burst at the two foes. The Shelgon generated a Protect around itself, but the second bullet of fire hit the Eelektrik on the noggin, causing it to chitter angrily.

It retaliated by generating multiple bolts of electricity, which it then proceeded to throw at the duo. Ezra grunted as she was struck by the Discharge. Carys winced as well, but wasn't as hurt as Ezra had been.

Once Carys had recovered, she sent out two twirling lights at the Eelektrik. Instantly, its eyes went glassy, and it accidentally Crunched the Shelgon, who yelped audibly.

Ezra and Carys quickly KO'd the Eelektrik with Shadow Ball and Hex, and they turned their attention to the Shelgon.

After a brief staredown, the Shelgon ran at Ezra, its head glowing blue. Ezra merely stepped to the right in order to dodge the Zen Headbutt, and she and Carys defeated the still-charging Shelgon with a Flame Burst and Shadow Ball to its rear.

**B15F**

"Stairs! I thought I'd never see you again!" Carys wailed exaggeratedly, dramatically hugging the Stairs.

_Again…..again….again…._

"Whoops," she whispered anxiously.

—**Waypoint—**

To their pleasant surprise, they came to the waypoint. The walls had changed from black obsidian to smoky gray rock, with large colorful crystals growing perpendicularly. The floor had also changed from almost-black azure stone to a sort of dark burgundy color. Small pieces of obsidian littered the floor. The faint sounds of thunder could still be heard, even this far down into the earth.

"Let's see...we just came from B15F, so there should be 10 more floors to go," Ezra thought out loud.

"I'm so ready for this battle. We haven't had a good boss battle in ages!" Carys grinned as she tapped the Kangaskhan statue.

_Ages….ages...ages…_

They jumped slightly. They'd especially need to be extra-quiet this close to their quarry.

Cautiously, Team Banshee pressed on.

**Deep Dark Fissure ( watch?v=eWzpfjkIRF8)**

**B1F**

The area looked exactly the same as the waypoint chamber. The walls were still made of smoky gray stone with large colorful crystals, and the floor was still a dark burgundy color. It was still very hard to see in this place, and the incessant boom of thunder was still audible.

"Hello. Are you lost?" Ezra heard Carys ask behind her. She turned to find Carys talking to an Altaria.

The Altaria didn't say anything, only threw downy cotton into the air, where it settled all around its fluffy wings. The Cotton Guard sharply raised its defense. Luckily, that move wouldn't do a thing for it.

"Guess not," Ezra responded before they threw a combined attack of Shadow Ball and Night Shade at it. The Altaria flew out of the way, soaring over their heads. Ezra easily shot it down with Flame Burst.

The foe landed on the ground, turned, and shot a beam of red Dragon Breath at Carys. Carys cried out as she was hit, and Ezra quickly avenged her friend with Hex.

The Altaria buckled for a moment, then stood upright. It then began singing a terrible, dreadful song. The song was so melancholy and horrid, it actually ate at Ezra's energy. The more she listened to the Perish Song, the more she wanted to waste away into nothing. It would be better to let the song eat away at her, let it overwhelm her with its sad melody...

"No!" she protested, shaking herself out of those dark thoughts.

_No...no...no..._

She quickly threw a Hex at the Altaria, where it critically struck. The sad song was silenced forever.

"There weren't any Altarias in the first part," Ezra frowned after she and Carys had recovered from the morose effects.

"I guess there are new Pokemon in this part," replied Carys.

"Hopefully nothing we can't handle," nodded Ezra as the two set forth.

**B2F**

They encountered an Altaria and Eelektrik while wandering down a short hall. Carys quickly jumped into the wall and confused the feathery foe with Confuse Ray before it could Perish Song them.

Two Hexes and a Shadow Ball later, they only had an Eelektrik to deal with. Carys turned it into a ghost/electric-type, and it responded by spitting an Acid Spray onto Ezra, lowering her special defense.

"Ahh, that's disgusting!" she complained, staring at the orange goop all over her.

_Sting…..sting...sting…_

She tried to call up an Inferno, but to her frustration, she couldn't make the power rise. So, she settled instead for a Flame Burst.

The Eelektrik chittered quite angrily as it was scorched by the volley of fire. It dove at Ezra and sank its teeth into her skull, Crunching her as hard as it could.

"Ah! Get it off! Get it offa me!" Ezra yelled, willing her flame to rise as high as it could go. The foe let out a squeak as it was burned by her massive flame.

_Me...me...me…_

As the Eelektrik retreated, Carys swiftly knocked it out with Razor Leaf.

"Ah...thanks for that," Ezra sighed.

**B3F**

"We have Stairs! Life is good!" declared Carys.

_Good….good…..good….._

**B4F**

They found a small Kecleon Shop as they entered a room.

"Good evenin', ladies. See anything ya like?" the shopkeeper inquired quietly.

They inspected his wares, and found to their satisfaction a Luminous Orb.

"150 Poke," the Kecleon told them. They handed over the money, and received the orb in return.

"Have a good day," the Kecleon nodded at them as they set back out.

"Wanna use it now?" asked Carys. Ezra thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"No, let's use it on the last floor."

"Ah, good idea," Carys nodded.

**B5F**

There was a single Electivire blocking their way in a corridor. Ezra ducked into the wall so Carys could take the initiative.

The Electivire began by firing a Thunderbolt at Carys. Carys grimaced as electricity coursed through her body, but stoically endured the attack. She retaliated with Shadow Ball, but the foe jumped into the air to dodge.

Ezra caught it with Flame Burst as it fell, though, and the Electivire landed clumsily on its feet as a result. Shaking its head, the Electivire began Screeching loudly and harshly, causing the duo to cover the area where their ears would be.

"STOP IT!" screamed Carys, and she began firing light green seeds from her mouth and onto the foe. The seeds, upon making contact with the foe, exploded.

The Electivire fell backwards, and Ezra quickly dispatched it with Hex.

"What was that move?" Ezra asked as the echoes from the Screech started to die down.

"Uh...Seed Bomb, I think. Lemme see what move I forgot," Carys went through all of her moves, but found she couldn't remember how to use Confuse Ray.

"Aw. It was useful, but at least I got another offensive move, I guess," she shrugged.

**B6F**

To Ezra's immense horror, they had spawned with a Salamence.

"X-Eye Seed! X-Eye Seed!" she hissed at Carys as the large foe lumbered over to them.

_Seed...seed….seed…._

"Stop echoing!" Ezra yelled angrily as Carys threw the seed at the Salamence as it opened its mouth to use some unknown attack.

_Ing...ing...ing..._

The seed found its mark, and the Salamence's eyes went cross-eyed. Confused, it began wandering around the room.

Together, Ezra and Carys hit the difficult foe with Flame Burst and Shadow Ball. Then Carys spat multiple Seed Bombs at the foe.

One more combined attack of Flame Burst and Seed Bomb, and thankfully the foe was defeated.

"Hah!" Ezra gloated.

_Hah….hah….hah…._

**B7F**

"You're always there for me. I appreciate that about you," Carys told the Stairs.

The Stairs didn't say anything. It was too bashful to respond.

**B8F**

They found a Shelgon and a sleeping Electivire in the next chamber they came to after spawning. Carys hit the Shelgon in order to grab its attention, and the spherical foe turned around and stalked over to the duo, dodging the Iron Thorns Carys threw at it.

Even though it didn't have a mouth, the Shelgon stopped and blew a Flamethrower at Carys. Ezra eagerly stepped in front of the flame and absorbed the energy, basking in the power the attack gave her.

She then roasted the Shelgon whole with Inferno.

"Don't you dare," Ezra said, noticing that Carys was preparing to throw a Razor Leaf at the sleeping Electivire.

"Hmph," Carys pouted, but didn't wake it up.

**B9F**

On this penultimate floor, they were fighting a Plusle and Dragonair in the crook of a 90-degree hallway. Ezra had ducked into the wall space next to the Dragonair, so all of the Pokemon were in a 2x2 fashion.

Thankfully, there wasn't much the Dragonair could do besides dodge Ezra's attacks. It slithered out of the way of her Flame Burst, ducked underneath her Hex, evaded her Night Shade.

Finally, an aggravated Ezra threw a decoy Flame Burst towards the right, causing it to dodge to the left. A split second later, she called up her Inferno.

To her immense pleasure, the attack worked, and she happily roasted the evasive foe in blue fire. Somehow it survived the attack, but was badly burned as a result.

She swiftly put it out of its misery with Hex.

She then turned to the Plusle, who was busy formulating Nasty Plots. She punished it with Flame Burst, and it fell unconscious, a look of surprise on its face.

"Thief," Carys muttered at her as she returned to the dungeon proper.

**B10F**

As it was the final floor before Zekrom, they finally decided to use the Luminous Orb. Ezra broke it, and she led Carys to...the chamber immediately to the right of their spawn room.

"Ugh. Well, ready for a boss fight?" Ezra grimaced at the waste of the orb.

"Always," Carys grinned wickedly.

**Dark Pit**

Warily, they came to the home of the legendary Zekrom. It was hard to see in this place, and the only light came from large iridescent crystals that grew along the edges of the dark gray chamber, and from a large hole in the center of the room that led to the surface.

"Zekrom! We know you're here! Give up already!" Ezra shouted, ignoring the subsequent echoes as she scanned the dim area for a tall black Pokemon. Up above, they could hear distant claps of thunder.

There was no reply, and as Ezra willed her flame to rise higher and shed more light on the area, she found that there were no other Pokemon in here.

Scowling, Ezra took out a Sleep Seed and the Lunar Wing, and ate the former.

As soon as she closed her eyes, she woke up in a completely white room. Cresselia materialized a second later, looking aggravated and wild.

"I am in the midst of battle! Tell me quickly, did you apprehend Zekrom?" she said quickly.

"No, he's not here," Ezra shook her head. Cresselia grimaced.

"He probably heard you coming and decided to run. Coward. Ugh, see if you can track him down. I—wah!" Cresselia disappeared, and suddenly Ezra was drowning in the middle of the ocean.

She woke up with a start, gasping and sputtering as if she were trying to expel water from her lungs. Blinking in disorientation at her surroundings, Ezra realized she was back in the real world.

"What happened?" Carys asked, worriedly.

"Ugh, I think Darkrai interrupted Cresselia as she was talking to me. Uh, she said he might've run for it and we're to try and track him down," Ezra shook her head, still reeling over the hyper-realistic nightmare. She swore she could taste seawater on her palate.

"Oh. Well, there's this hole up here. Maybe he escaped through it?" Carys suggested, pointing at the hole in the ceiling.

"Y-yeah...come on, let's go," Ezra said, picking herself up.

* * *

The duo quickly exited the dungeon, and they paused, unsure of what to do next. It must've been around 8 o'clock by now, and the temperature was plummeting fast. They'd need to find shelter soon.

"Now wh-what?" asked Carys, shivering in the December chill. Ezra paced around, trying to think.

"If I w-w-were trying to l-lay low, I'd hide n-nearby and wait for m-m-my pursuers to leave. What's th-the nearest dungeon from h-h-here?" Ezra asked, her teeth chattering wildly. Carys brought out their map.

"Uh...it's a-about a mile s-south, called W-w-wicked Wildlands," Carys reported. Ezra nodded.

"Alright, let's h-head that way and s-s-see if we can see h-him," she said as they ran towards the dungeon.

As they left the stormy area and back into normal December weather, Ezra could see a faint blue speck in the air.

"There! I th-think that's him!" she pointed. They watched as the blue spot descended straight down about ¾ of a mile away, right where Wicked Wildlands was.

"He's g-g-going into Wicked Wildlands. Let's g-go!" Ezra yelled, breaking back into a run.

* * *

**Hm, Zekrom actually has a pretty good setup. He lives in an echo-prone dungeon, so if any intruders come by he can either prepare for battle or flee long before they arrive. Too bad his ideals align with the Dark...**

**Also, his glowing blue tail is a perfect beacon in the night, despite his blending in with the dark sky! Ah, if only he fled a few minutes earlier...**

**The (Post-story Chapter 1 finale—!) will feature: a very wicked wild, an _electrifying_ battle, and Carys' most helpful knowledge about Pre-calculus Trigonometry.**


	81. Chapter 81

**Wicked Wildlands ( watch?v=0Skz_I5y0bc)**

They soon arrived at the flat stretch of land that neighbored Dark Fissure. The area had turned flat and grassy, and up above the sky was clear and filled with bright stars. In the distance, though, they could still see the thunderclouds and hear the thunder that plagued Dark Fissure.

It was getting to be quite cold, even for the fire-type Ezra. And if _Ezra_ was cold, then Carys had to be absolutely _freezing_.

They said not a word as they approached the grassy entrance to the dungeon. They only shared a determined look, and entered.

**B1F**

"Watch out!" was the first thing Ezra heard as she found herself in a new area. She blinked, right before an electric current ran through her body.

She flinched as the weak current caused her entire body to stiffen and paralyse. Thunder Wave, she guessed.

"What's going on?" she asked. Carys and the mystery foe were behind her. While she could speak, the Thunder Wave made it impossible for her to move anything else.

Carys grunted, and a high-pitched shriek came a second later.

"Uh…" she heard Carys falter.

"Carys?" Ezra called.

"Oh! Sorry. Uh...that was a Zebstrika. And it just fainted. From one regular attack," Carys reported, floating into Ezra's view.

"Wait, what?" frowned Ezra.

"Yeah. I hardly tapped it, and it keeled over!" Carys exclaimed.

"...I...uh...guess the foes here are super weak…?" theorized Ezra, not sure how she felt about this unexpected advantage. A few moments later, the paralysis wore off, and she could move again.

Ezra looked around, surveying the area. The walls were made of light brown stone, and the floor was composed of dead grass, with some large brown rocks strewn about here and there. It was slightly warmer as well, but not by much.

"I think so. Oh well, that just makes our job that much easier!" Carys winked.

"R-right. Okay, let's set out," said Ezra, deciding that she didn't mind super-weak foes. They weren't as much fun to defeat, but meh.

**B2F**

"Say, how big do you think this place is?" Carys was asking Ezra as they walked down a hall.

"Dunno. Hopefully not terribly lon—_hello!_" Ezra exclaimed as she rounded a 90-degree corner, only to come face-to-face with a Sandslash.

She stopped dead in her tracks, causing Carys to bump into her, and thus making Ezra collide with the Sandslash. All three Pokemon tumbled to the ground in a heap.

The Sandslash Swiped Furiously at Ezra, knocking her and Carys away. Ezra got quickly to her feet, and threw a Flame Burst at the foe. Since it was shot at such close range, the Sandslash was unable to evade in time and fell unconscious.

"Where did _you_ come from?" she heard Carys ask behind her. Ezra turned to see a Ponyta trotting up to Carys.

It surrounded itself in Flames, and Charged rapidly at Carys, who was knocked to the floor by the attack. As Carys lay dazed at her feet, Ezra shot off a Hex at the Ponyta over Carys' head. The Ponyta dodged, and surrounded itself in a Flame Wheel. It then rushed at Ezra, but Ezra merely overcame its fiery aura with a critically-struck Hex.

"Ugh, thanks," grimaced Carys as she got back up.

**B3F**

They met a Girafarig and Diggersby in the fifth chamber they came to. Carys quickly bested the sleeping Diggersby with Seed Bomb, and the Girafarig responded by thoroughly sniffing Ezra.

"Uh...do you mind?" a weirded-out Ezra demanded as she threw a Flame Burst at it. She didn't really like having her Odor Sleuthed.

The Girafarig evaded the attack and shot a colorful Psybeam at her. Ezra countered the attack with another Flame Burst, and the two attacks created a small explosion upon contact with each other.

"Yah!" Ezra heard Carys yell, and then the sound of impact soon followed.

When the smoke cleared, the Girafarig was nowhere to be seen, and Carys was uncurling a fist.

"Wow! Punching is really fun!" Carys exclaimed delightedly.

"Not to that Girafarig it wasn't," chuckled Ezra.

**B4F**

When Ezra entered a small room, she found to her satisfaction a Sleep Seed.

"Awesome. We'll need one after we defeat Zekrom," she nodded in approval as she put the seed in their bag.

**B5F**

A Skarmory and Trapinch were there in the chamber the duo were just arriving in. The Skarmory was far away and hadn't realized there were intruders in the same room, so Carys easily sniped it off with Razor Leaf.

The Trapinch, however, began using Dig.

Ezra, in response, calmly walked over to the hole it made, and used Inferno. She sent the beam of fire down into the hole, where it followed the tunnel the Trapinch was making. The ground shook, and a few feet away the Trapinch came flying from out of the ground, bathed in fiery glory and shrieking pitifully. It did not get up when it landed on the ground.

"Nicely done," Carys remarked in approval.

"I try," Ezra replied.

**B6F**

"Woo! Stairs!" cheered Carys.

**B7F**

"Double Stairs?! Life is amazing!" Carys guffawed.

**B8F**

They spawned in with a Girafarig and Skarmory. The Girafarig, who was closest, brutally Stomped down on Ezra's foot.

"OW!" Ezra roared, clutching it and hopping around. It immediately followed up with a hoof to Ezra's skull, causing the Litwick to faceplant into the ground.

"Would you _not_ Assurance me…?" she asked through a mouthful of dirt.

She got up, spat out a clod of sod, and thoroughly roasted the normal/psychic-type with Flame Burst, leaving only the Skarmory.

Speaking of, she watched as the flying foe threw Slashes of Air at Carys. To the Gourgeist's credit, she nimbly evaded each attack, and threw a Razor Leaf back at the foe.

The attack missed, so Ezra helped out by roasting the Skarmory in Flame Burst as well.

Carys mock-glared at Ezra for stealing the defeat.

**B9F**

They encountered, not one, but _two_ Rhydon in a short corridor. Carys hurried off to the wall to deal with the second Rhydon.

The first Rhydon began by making a very Scary Face at Ezra, who felt her traitor legs lock up in terror even though the face wasn't really particularly terrifying.

"Wimps," she muttered at her feet before taking out her annoyance on the Rhydon with Flame Burst.

She waited all of three seconds before Carys KO'd the second Rhydon with Razor Leaf.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to take so long. It dodged my first Razor Leaf," Carys explained.

"Eh, s'all right," shrugged Ezra as her legs unseized.

**B10F**

Ezra's belly rumbled. She paused to take out a couple apples from the bag Carys held. Carys took out a couple as well, and together the duo briefly sat down for a paltry dinner of apples.

**B11F**

A Zebstrika and Rhydon greeted them as they walked into a medium-sized chamber.

The Rhydon started off with Bulldoze. It jumped high into the air, and landed forcefully onto the ground, sending a powerful shockwave through the room that made Ezra and Carys stumble and lose their balance.

That was about all it did to them. The Bulldoze was only mildly irritating to Ezra, who was weak to the attack.

"You done?" she asked it as she KO'd it with Hex. Overkill, maybe, but it got the job done.

The Zebstrika, on the other hand, attempted to paralyze Carys with Thunder Wave, but the Gourgeist neatly dodged and defeated it with one hit of Seed Bomb.

"Hmph. Amateurs," Carys snorted derisively.

**B12F**

"Stairs!" announced Carys.

**B13F**

They found a Diggersby wandering around in the same hall they were wandering around in.

"It has an Oran Berry," warned Carys as she ducked into the wall beside Ezra.

"Frisk?" Ezra guessed as she threw a Flame Burst at the large Digging Pokemon.

"Yup yup," replied Carys.

The foe ducked under the attack and spat multiple Shots of Mud at Ezra. Ezra covered her face with her arms, and gritted her teeth as multiple stinging pains shot through her arms and torso.

She lowered her arms and witnessed Carys spit out Seed Bombs at the foe. It leaped into the air to dodge, and Ezra caught it with Hex as it fell.

It landed on the ground, and didn't get back up again. The Oran Berry bounced away from it, and Ezra picked it up and put it in their bag.

**B14F**

A Ponyta and Trapinch spawned with them. The Trapinch began by making a Rock Slide fall from the ceiling. Ezra grunted as multiple large rocks tumbled onto her and Carys.

As soon as the barrage ended, the Ponyta surrounded itself in a disk of fire, and ran this Flame Wheel at her.

Ezra let herself be hit, enjoying the new surge of power. She turned, and threw a Flame Burst at the now-Bulldozing Trapinch. At the same time, Carys threw a Shadow Ball at the Ponyta. The attacks crossed each other in an X-shape, and each landed squarely on their targets. Both fainted instantly.

The team nodded in satisfaction, and moved onwards.

**B15F**

Ezra yawned. It was probably only around 9, but the past few hours were starting to take a toll on her. She needed to rest, yet she couldn't, for they had a wayward legendary to arrest. So she forced herself to stay awake.

"Say, what's the battle plan?" Carys asked as they entered a corridor.

"Oh, uh...I don't know," blinked Ezra in surprise.

"Hmm...I guess just wear him down with ghost-type moves and seeds. I'll use Trick-or-Treat right away, so that'll give us an advantage," mused Carys.

"I'll try and nail him with Inferno, so he'll be burned. Or I'll just throw seeds at him so we can go all-out," offered Ezra as they entered a large room.

"Yeah, that'll help. Xerneas and Cresselia said he hates facts, right? Maybe I can shout math formulas at him," grinned Carys.

Ezra laughed, picturing the scene. That was an amusing thought, but she doubted it would actually do anything.

"Yeah, maybe. I think we're ready. Let's get this battle started!" Ezra said with relish.

Then she yawned again.

**B16F**

"So. How you doin'?" Carys asked the Stairs.

They didn't respond. They were too shy.

**B17F**

They found a Sandslash heading in the same opposite they were going in a corridor. Ezra stepped into the wall so Carys could snipe it with Razor Leaf.

The foe hardly saw it coming.

**Wicked Savannah**

Team Banshee was relieved when they came to the end of the dungeon. They had been starting to worry that the dungeon was an abnormally long one.

Here at the end, the wildlands opened up to full-on savannah; long dead grass and the pitiful remnants of small bushes greeted them. There were probably more biome indicators nearby, but this was all they could see in the surrounding area in this dark light.

But, they could see Zekrom a few meters away. While it was hard to make out his specific details, Ezra could see that he was indeed tall and black. He was bipedal, and his drill-shaped tail had glowing blue stripes that churned with what was probably electricity. On each shoulder were two long black wings.

He raised his head as they came closer.

"So you found me. Hmph, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You lot are quite stubborn," he rumbled in a deep, brooding voice as he turned to face them. But when he saw who had come to fight him, he cocked his head in confusion.

"Team...Banshee…? I was expecting Cresselia and Xerneas, or even the Lunar Wind, but you two...? …*sigh*, I knew I should have listened to my brother," Zekrom grumbled.

"Your brother? You mean Reshiram?" asked Ezra cautiously as Carys tossed their bag on the ground.

"Bah! No, not that pigheaded moron! My eldest sibling, Kyurem. He leads the remnants of the Darkness now. I thought it would be safe to return to my beloved home, and he told me no, wait until the plan succeeds. But I ignored him, and now I have to deal with you two. ...Actually, this is a great turn of events! I shall do what Formora couldn't, and end your lives right here, right now," Zekrom leered as he slowly moved forward.

"In your dreams. We bested your Champion; do you _really_ think you could ever hope to surpass her?" taunted Ezra.

"That was in the past. Us Dark remnants are more stronger, more capable than before. Your legacy stops here," snarled Zekrom as he spread his black wings menacingly.

* * *

**Boss Battle! ( watch?v=tPC55RVN9Mg)**

As they had planned, Carys immediately summoned candy around herself and the lumbering Zekrom. He stopped in confusion as candy corn and lollipops rained down on him.

"Trick-or-Treat? Mmm, excellent strategy! Very creative! I like it! That won't stop me from killing you, though," Zekrom said approvingly as his claws glowed white, and grew longer.

"Dragon Claw! Look out!" shouted Ezra as Zekrom flew at them. The duo jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding those sharp claws.

As Zekrom soared past them, Carys quickly shot off a Shadow Ball. The purple ball of shadows struck Zekrom's left shoulder, and he angled back toward the ground. He landed near the dungeon exit, moving his arm to stave off the pain.

"Not bad. I expected no less from the famous Team Banshee. But how will you deal with _this_?!" Zekrom boomed, and out of nowhere five clones of him appeared in a circle around the duo. Back-to-back, the duo stared down the Zekroms.

"Wha?! Which one's the real one?" demanded Ezra as she looked at each Double Team copy as they circled around the duo.

"Dunno! Just hit one and hope you're lucky!" Carys shouted back as she spat Seed Bombs at one Zekrom copy. It disappeared upon being hit, leaving only four copies and the real Zekrom.

Ezra picked a clone and prepared a Flame Burst (as that would hit the surrounding copies as well), but before she could do so, she felt a powerful Thunderbolt race all throughout her body. She screamed at the top of her lungs, all of her pain receptors flooding her with agony. The Flame Burst dissipated, and when the torture finally ended Ezra collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.

"You can't win. I am _perfect,_" she faintly heard Zekrom's voice behind her. Gritting her teeth, Ezra got painstakingly to her feet and turned around. The four clones were to the side and behind the duo, but only one Zekrom was in front of her. This had to be the real one.

"Oh...but you're not…." Ezra growled as she threw a Hex at Zekrom.

The attack was angled toward the right, so he'd have to dodge to the left. Since he was in the air, he easily evaded, but Carys launched a Shadow Ball a second after Ezra threw her Hex. Carys had known what Ezra would do, and so the attack struck successfully, causing Zekrom to flinch.

Ezra channeled her anger into an Inferno. Something clicked, and power rushed to her flame. A ball of blue fire formed in front of her flame. Letting out an enraged yell, Ezra unleashed the beam of blue fire at Zekrom. He looked up, and was unable to dodge in time and was swiftly engulfed in flames.

Ezra sat down, exhausted but grinning widely. Zekrom would be very weak after that, and he would be badly burned. They had this.

But, to Ezra's shock, Zekrom was still very much able to battle. True, there was a nasty burn on his chest, but overall he hardly looked worse for the wear.

"_That's_ your strongest attack? Inferno? Try mine," he snorted as a transparent sphere of violet energy began to surround him. His tail thrummed with blue power, and large bolts of electricity began to emanate from the violet sphere.

Zekrom then rushed straight for Ezra. Tired as she was from that Inferno, she could not scramble to her feet in time, and was brutally knocked high into the air. Her body spasmed uncontrollably as dangerous levels of electricity coursed through it.

She passed out as her vision changed to red, then yellow, then white, then black…

When she was revived, she found herself lying on the grass, the sounds of battle behind her. She quickly got to her feet, and saw Carys tossing a Shadow Ball at an airborne Zekrom. The Zekrom clones were nowhere to be seen.

Zekrom dodged Carys' Shadow Ball, and generated a Thunderbolt at her. Carys threw herself out of the way, rolled, then jumped back into the air.

Ezra ran over to Carys.

"Did you enjoy my Fusion Bolt? Isn't it the perfect ultimate move?" Zekrom asked pleasantly as he used Thunderbolt once more. He roared as electricity poured from his body.

Ezra dodged, but Carys wasn't as fortunate. As the Gourgeist wailed, Ezra unthinkingly grabbed an X-Eye Seed from their bag and threw it into Zekrom's open mouth. At once, the Thunderbolt stopped, and Zekrom got a nonplussed expression. The his eyes went cross-eyed.

"Now's our chance!" yelled Ezra as she began throwing Hex after Hex at the vulnerable Zekrom. Once Carys recovered from being electrocuted, she added her Shadow Balls to the mix.

All too soon, the seed wore off. With a shout, Zekrom backhanded them all with Dragon Claw, clutching his burned chest in pain after doing so.

Ezra and Carys bounced a few times as they landed on the ground, like they were stones skipping across the surface of water. Eventually they skidded painfully to a stop, creating a large rut as they did so. Dazed, they lay there for a few moments.

"ENOUGH!" roared Zekrom as he began charging up Fusion Bolt.

"No…" Ezra moaned weakly, struggling to crawl to her feet. Carys did the same.

Zekrom rushed at the duo, and Ezra used the strength of desperation to throw herself out of the way, feeling the warm sting of electricity tickle her feet as Zekrom impacted the spot she was just at. Carys' tortured scream made her blood run cold. She flipped onto her back, and watched as Carys soared high into the air, her body jerking this way and that. As the Gourgeist fell back down, the white beam of a Reviver Seed shone down from above and onto Carys.

Zekrom ceased his Fusion Bolt and stared at Ezra, who stared right back. Then Zekrom grinned, and before Ezra could ran away she was mercilessly struck with Thunderbolt.

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" screamed Ezra as a powerful current raced through her body. She collapsed onto the ground, twitching every few seconds.

Pain. She was aware of nothing but pain. Pure, unbridled agony that threatened to consume her. Moaning pitifully, she fought off the pain and managed to come to her senses. She sat up, shook her head, and stumbled to their bag, where she pulled out an Oran Berry and ate it in three bites.

Almost instantly, she felt refreshed and ready for another go. As her head cleared, Carys came over as Zekrom used Double Team. The copies stood in a line about 20 meters away from them, watching the duo carefully. Interestingly enough, all of the clones had burn marks on their chests, just like their original.

"Ugh...we need to put an end to this, and soon," Carys winced.

"Right. If I can nail him with another X-Eye Seed, we should be able to win. Zekrom's burn looks pretty painful, and we did a number on him before. He has to be tiring," frowned Ezra, pondering how to get Zekrom to open his mouth so she could throw in a seed.

"Hm. Give me a minute. I'd like to try something," said Carys as she floated towards the Zekroms. She stopped about halfway in between Ezra and the line of enemies.

"2+2=4," Carys said nervously. Ezra stared at her. What was Carys doing…?

The Zekroms didn't do anything.

"You take two, and another two, and it'll _always_ equal four," Carys went on. Did one of the Zekroms' eyes flash? Ezra couldn't be sure.

"Yup, two plus two equals and _only_ equals four. Nothing else," Carys nodded.

"...But it also equals fish. Everyone knows that," the second Zekrom from the right rumbled.

"That doesn't make any mathematical sense," Carys frowned.

"Maybe not, but it is a given fact that 2+2 also equals fish! If you take a 2, reverse it, and cross them together you get a fish!" the same Zekrom stormed. The other Zekrom clones disappeared as the real one and Carys stared each other down.

"Tan x = sin x/cos x." Carys said evenly after a moment.

"And tan x = 1/csc x over 1/sec x. Same answer, different method," Zekrom said right back. Ezra was very confused. Why were they arguing about math at ten in the evening…?

"But my way is soooo much simpler," argued Carys.

"Maybe to you! I prefer my way! Not everything is black and white! _Gray areas exist too!_" Zekrom stormed.

"Sin^2 x + cos^2 x =1," Carys shot.

"And cos^2 x-1 = -sin^2 x," Zekrom shot back. Finally Ezra realized what Carys was doing. She was throwing math formulas at Zekrom. And Zekrom was the legendary of ideals, and the opposite of his truth-seeking brother Reshiram . Naturally he would seek alternate answers.

Back and forth, Carys and Zekrom argued over math problems. Ezra only understood about one word in twenty, but she got the faint impression that Carys was winning.

"A right triangle will _always_ add up to 180 degrees!" Carys bellowed after about ten minutes of this.

"Not always!" insisted Zekrom.

"Then it's illegal! Also, a right angle will _always_ be 90 degrees!" Carys shouted at the top of her lungs.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Zekrom roared, throwing his hands up into the air. It seemed he finally had no counterargument.

As he roared his frustration, Carys turned and winked at Ezra. Ezra got the message, and threw an X-Eye Seed into Zekrom's mouth.

His scream ended in a surprised choking sound, and his eyes went cross-eyed. With relish, the duo hammered him with Shadow Ball after Shadow Ball and Hex after Hex until all three Pokemon collapsed.

* * *

Team Banshee recovered first.

"Hah...that was actually really fun. You wanna contact Cresselia?" Carys grinned tiredly.

"Sure," Ezra shrugged as she downed the Sleep Seed.

The next thing she knew, she was with Cresselia and Xerneas in the middle of a clearing. Cresselia looked haggard and worn.

"You did it?" Cresselia asked curtly. Ezra nodded.

"Yes. We're at Wicked Wildlands."

"Excellent. The Lunar Wind are on their way. We won against Darkrai and the Unknown an hour ago. I am...quite tired. I need to rest. And so do you and Carys. It'll be almost dawn by the time you two return home. The LW aren't too far away, so you can leave as soon as this audience is over," Cresselia nodded, smiling faintly.

"How'd you win?" inquired Xerneas.

"Carys got into an argument with Zekrom about math." Ezra informed. Cresselia got a quizzical look on her face, but Xerneas threw back his head and laughed for a solid five minutes. After he was done, Cresselia nodded at Ezra.

"Thank you for your help. I shall speak with you again soon," she began to end the dream, but Ezra remembered something.

"Wait! Before the battle, Zekrom mentioned that Kyurem was leading the Dark now, and that they're planning something."

Cresselia paused.

"Yes, I am aware. I know there is a large rebel sect still out there. K is with the rebels, but she refuses to tell me where they are located. She's treading a very thin line with her actions. She will tell me everything Kyurem says to her, yet she will not tell me where they are so that we may stamp them out for good," Cresselia sighed heavily.

"Why would she do that?" asked Ezra.

"Revenge. Kyurem murdered D—a close friend of hers, and now she wants an eye for an eye. I sense dark plots are brewing, Ezra. Plots that might undo all we have worked for. Be cautious as you live your lives. ...I must go. I'm so tired. Farewell," Cresselia ended the audience.

When Ezra woke up, she relayed all Cresselia had told her to Carys.

"Let's not worry about Dark schemes tonight. Do it tomorrow," Carys yawned.

"Sounds good. Let's go to bed," Ezra nodded sleepily.

With one last look at the fallen Zekrom, the team headed home.

* * *

**Lily Town**

Tired and exhausted, Team Banshee stumbled into town at around four in the morning. Thankfully, the door to the Lofts was unlocked, and the duo wandered clumsily upstairs and into their rooms. They fell unceremoniously into their beds, and were fast asleep before they even made contact.

* * *

**There's a reason why Wicked Wildlands is so easy, but you won't find out until next year~**

**Hmm, sounds like sinister things are afoot in the land. We'll see what sorts of things the Dark rebels have in store for our heroes in the next chapter :D**

**The post-story chapter 2 premiere will include: an afternoon job, a farewell, and an unloved toddler.**


	82. Post-Story Chapter 2 Dissent

**Post-Story Chapter 2. Dissent**

* * *

_The child is huddled in the corner of the living room, shielding her face with her hands as she weeps silently. Trapping her are her parents, who are yelling things she doesn't fully understand at her._

"_I wish you'd never been born!" Mommy screams at her._

"_I hate you. You're useless, and you're better off dead. _We're _better off if you didn't exist," Daddy growls._

"_You're a waste of life, and an even bigger drain of money! Look around! Do you think we can afford you?!" Mommy snaps, grabbing the child's head and forcing her to look around at their tiny, cramped house. _

_The toddler stares uncomprehendingly at the only sight she's ever known. The entire house is streaked in filth, and the window above the broken kitchen sink has a large crack. The only furniture in the living room were four decaying pillows. The fridge in the kitchen didn't work, and didn't have a single thing inside of it anyway. For a table, all they had was a large wooden box with an ancient, fraying sheet as a table cloth. The cupboards were bare, and there was a leak by the front door. _

_The three-year-old girl had never been outside before. She did not know that she lived in poverty, did not know that most people did not live like this._

"_This is because of _you_!" Mommy yells, shoving the child back into the corner as she gestures around the room. "We wouldn't be living like this if you hadn't been born!" _

_Mommy walks away, stomping into her and Daddy's room._

"_You cost us way too much money. Money that we don't have. Why do you cost so much?! How can one worthless girl cause us so much pain?!" Daddy rages. A sob escapes the child's mouth._

_Mommy returns from her room, and thrusts an old piece of paper into the child's face._

"_You see this?" Mommy hisses. The child stares uncertainly at the strange scribbles on the paper as tears stream down her face. "This is how much is cost us to keep you alive when you were born! If I'd have known beforehand that you weren't worth all this debt, then I would have just let you die!"_

_After that, Mommy begins crying, and she heads back into her and Daddy's room, slamming the door. The door shuddered, and the top hinge fell loose._

_Daddy starts to follow Mommy, but stops and looks back at the child. _

"_You will never deserve the right to live," he says coldly before going to comfort Mommy. _

_The child sinks down to floor, crying quietly and wondering what she did to make her parents hate her so much._

_Later, after a meager dinner of a slice of bread, Mommy sighs and looks over at the child, saying dully, "I wish I had aborted you."_

_Daddy nods sadly._

* * *

Ezra woke feeling it difficult to breathe. She panicked for a second, flailing around. As she rolled over onto her back, she unwittingly fell off her bed.

"Ouch!" Ezra muttered.

"Mm?" came Carys' murmur from the left.

Blinking dazedly, the disoriented Ezra looked around. She was on the floor, next to her bed. Carys was beginning to stir from atop the Gourgeist's own bed. Then the events of the previous night came back to her, and Ezra remembered that she had fallen asleep while getting into bed.

She got to her feet. She must have fallen face-first into her blankets last night. That would explain the difficulty in drawing in oxygen.

Yawning, Ezra looked outside. The day was gray and overcast, with no signs of sun anywhere. Strangely, there were many Pokemon outside, going about their routine. Ezra frowned. Normally Lily Town wasn't up this early.

She looked at the clock, wondering just what time it was. What she saw horrified her.

"OH MY ARCEUS!" she screamed. Carys woke instantly.

"Whozat?!" Carys demanded sleepily, half-forming a Shadow Ball.

"It's three in the afternoon!" Ezra exclaimed. _That_ caught Carys' attention.

"What?! No way," the Gourgeist protested, rubbing her eyes as the Shadow Ball dissipated.

Rose rushed into the room, a worried look on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"N-nothing. It's just...it's _three in the afternoon_! Why didn't you wake us?" demanded a horrified Ezra.

"You two looked like you needed a good long rest, so we decided not to wake you," explained Rose kindly. Ezra groaned.

"Ugh, there's only seven more hours left until bedtime again...how will we get to sleep on time…?" she asked tiredly.

"You could eat a bunch of Sleep Seeds," offered Rose.

"We might just do that," sighed Carys as she got down from bed.

Meanwhile, Ezra peered into the mirror above their dresser. She had a solid black eye, just like she had foretold last night.

The three walked into the kitchen, and Team Banshee were promptly given a fruit salad for breakfast/lunch.

"So how was your mission, and how on earth did you get that black eye, Ezra? What time did you come home?" inquired Rose.

"Uh...a few hours before dawn, I think. The mission went well. Zekrom fled, but we caught up to him and defeated him. As for my eye, I got Aqua-Tailed face-first into a wall," Ezra explained in between bites of peaches and cranberries.

"Oh, ouch. I'm glad it went alright otherwise. Let's see, nothing too extraordinary has occurred today. Team Siren are out searching for the Golden Mask. They expect to be home within a few days. Oh! And the northeast has completed recovered from the storm, or so I'm told. Team Triple S went out that way to see for themselves," Rose told them.

After breakfast/lunch, the duo decided they'd pass the time with a quick job nearby.

"Afternoon, Pelipper," greeted Ezra as they walked downstairs.

"Oh, hello you two! I take it your mission went well?" Pelipper inquired from his desk at the exploration registration desk.

"Yes, it went just fine. Are there any jobs left?" asked Carys.

"I believe so. There should be a few left on the bulletin boards," Pelipper nodded over at the boards.

There were only a few left on each. Many of the jobs took place far away from Lily Town, but fortunately there was one that was only a few hours away and wouldn't take too long.

The mission took place it Mt. Zephyr, which was located in the mountain range that separated Lily Town from Destiny Ridge, home of Victini. Their client was a Shiny Palpitoad whose curiosity had landed him in trouble on 7F.

Team Banshee headed into town, deposited their money, and took out three Reviver Seeds and a Sleep Seed.

With that done, they were ready to set out.

* * *

**Mt. Zephyr ( watch?v=aHrqu9kQNw8)**

**1F**

"Heh, we haven't been here in a long time," chuckled Carys as they spawned. The stone floor was a light gray, and the floor was only a darker shade of the same color.

"Yeah. Last time we came here, we were heading home after going to Destiny Ridge," recalled Ezra, remembering their arduous trek across the continent. Boy, was she glad that nightmare was long over.

"As I recall, there are foes with Sturdy in here. But other than that, this'll be a pushover," said Carys, doing a backflip.

"Sturdy's not gonna protect them from the might of Team Banshee," Ezra grinned wickedly.

Carys matched Ezra's grin with one of her own, and eagerly the team set forth.

**2F**

There was a Boldore and Machoke, respectively, in a corridor. The Boldore started off by glowing a silvery color, its Iron Defense sharply raising its defense.

Ezra only laughed and roasted it with Flame Burst.

Sturdy triggered, leaving the Boldore with the tiniest sliver of health left. Visibly struggling to stand, it feebly threw a rock at Ezra's face.

While the blow certainly smarted, all the Smack Down did was annoy Ezra.

"I disliked that," she informed as she slapped it into unconsciousness.

A moment later, something slammed down hard upon Ezra's skull with enough force to Knock Off her Trap Scarf.

Ezra landed face-first into the dirt, the breath knocked out of her. She got back up, wincing as pain shot through her eye.

She glared up at the culprit, the Machoke.

"Jerk," she spat as she thoroughly KO'd it with Hex.

"Hmph," Ezra sniffed as she tied her Trap Scarf back on.

**3F**

They spawned in with a Golbat. The Bat Pokemon started off by sending out two twirling lights out at Carys.

The Confuse Ray caused Carys' eyes to glaze, and the Gourgeist began wandering around the room in confusion.

Ezra only shook her head and KO'd the Golbat with Flame Burst.

A few minutes later, Carys snapped out of it.

**4F**

Carys steered Ezra towards the Stairs.

**5F**

A Machoke and Hoothoot were in a hall with them. The foes were on opposite sides of the duo, so that Ezra was battling the Machoke while Carys took care of the Hoothoot.

The Machoke made a grab for Ezra, but she weaved out of the way and tossed a Flame Burst at her foe. The Machoke dodged as well, and made another grab for her.

This time it caught her, and jumped high into the air. Once they started feeling gravity, the Machoke _hurled_ Ezra down to the ground.

Ezra made a two-foot-deep hole in the ground. She lay there in the dirt, dazed from the Seismic Toss. Then something picked her out of the ground like a vegetable, and she saw that the world was upside down, and that the Machoke was holding her.

An idea came to her brain, and she instantly threw a Flame Burst at her captor before it could do anything else to her.

It fell, and Ezra landed painfully on her head. Now she had both a black eye and a headache. What a lovely day today was.

She didn't get up for a few minutes, and when she did her head ached something fierce.

"You okay?" Carys asked in sympathy, already done with her own battle. Ezra nodded silently, and set forth, determined to walk off the pain.

**6F**

Ezra was currently in the middle of a fight with a Hoothoot. The wily Owl Pokemon dodged her Flame Burst, and Hypnotised her into falling asleep.

Ezra managed a quick sigh before she was sent into dreamland.

To her astonishment, though, she woke up with Cresselia in Lily Town.

"How…?" she gaped.

"Hello Ezra. I was hoping I would get to speak with you soon. I take it you're in a dungeon?" Cresselia greeted.

Ezra remembered sheepishly that she had just fallen asleep, with the Lunar Wing in their bag.

"Y-yeah. What's up?" she asked.

"Ah, I shall not keep you long, then. I want to formally thank you for your work last night, now that I have rested. Zekrom has been taken into custody, where he will be trialed for his Dark deeds. Now the Dark rebels are one member short," Cresselia nodded.

"That's good. Did Xerneas have to defend your home?"

Cresselia made a face.

"When I arrived home, I found my _entire_ dungeon covered in glitter. Every square inch. Even in the trees, and there's no way he can reach that high. I'm _still_ trying to clean it all up. But to answer your question, no, he didn't. My home remained undisturbed, save for Xerneas' prank. Anyways, is there anything I can do for you, to portray my utmost gratitude?" Cresselia asked. Ezra thought for a moment.

"...Not off the top of my head. We woke up only a few hours ago, so that could change soon," Ezra said.

"Only a few hours ago…? Oh dear, that's not healthy. Would you like to sleep at a normal time tonight?" inquired Cresselia. Ezra nodded vigorously.

"Eat a Sleep Seed, and fall asleep near the Lunar Wing. I will ensure that you stay asleep. What time do you like to wake up?"

"Usually around nine."

"Nine it is. Anything else?" Cresselia smiled faintly. Ezra shook her head.

"Then I shall leave you in peace."

And with that, Ezra suddenly found herself back in Mt. Zephyr.

"You were asleep for a while," observed Carys, the Hoothoot long gone.

"Forgot we still had the Lunar Wing with us. Cresselia wanted to chat," Ezra yawned, then told Carys all that had transpired.

"So we won't have to stay up all night again? Awesome!" Carys beamed.

Happily, the duo moved on.

**7F**

"H-h-helllllppppp!" they spawned in with their client, it seemed. Along with a Boldore.

The stony foe was slowly and menacingly advancing towards their client, a Shiny Palpitoad who was cowering in the corner.

Carys stepped forward, and almost knocked out the foe with Razor Leaf. When it turned to see who was attacking it, Ezra finished it off with Flame Burst.

"Hello! We're here to rescue you," beamed Carys at the trembling Palpitoad.

"T-team B-banshee?! Am I dr-dreaming?" he gasped.

"No, this is real. Ready to leave?" smiled Ezra, holding out her badge.

"YES! I w-wanted to see wh-what Mt. Zephyr was like, s-s-so I came here...I d-d-didn't realize it was s-so tough!" he cried.

"If you want to see what a dungeon is like, just ask an exploration team to escort you," offered Carys.

"Oh, I c-could never bother an e-exploration team with such a s-silly request…" drooped their client.

"Don't be ridiculous! Exploration teams do it all the time! It's our job, after all," winked Ezra.

Palpitoad considered that for a moment, then a tentative smile appeared on his face.

"If you s-say so. I'm ready to g-go home now," he nodded.

Ezra and Carys beamed him out, then beamed themselves out as well.

* * *

**Lily Town**

They arrived back in town at around six o'clock in the evening. The air was getting crisper, and darkness had already settled in. Team Banshee met Monferno as they were walking home after taking out a Sleep Seed from storage.

"Oh! Hello Team Banshee!" Monferno greeted.

"Heya! You're looking swell," smiled Ezra.

"Yes, I'm feeling much better. I was actually just about to leave Lily Town. There's a top-notch university over in Firewood City, and I've decided I'd like to study to become a history teacher. Tomorrow's the last day for class registration, though, so I've got to get a move on," Monferno grinned.

"Oh that's great! You'll be an amazing instructor, I just know it," Ezra said enthusiastically.

"Thanks! Did you ever decipher that map I gave you?" asked Monferno

"Yes, we did," Carys nodded.

"Ah, that's good. Well, I've got to get going. I'll see you guys around sometime!" Monferno waved as he started heading out of time.

"Bye Monferno!" chorused Team Banshee.

Palpitoad was waiting for them when they arrived at the Lofts.

"Thanks for rescuing me. I think I'll do as you suggested, and ask an exploration team to escort me," he said shyly. It appeared he had calmed down a lot since they had rescued him.

"Good idea," smiled Ezra. Palpitoad smiled back.

"Anyway, here's 500 Poke. Oh, my friends will be so jealous that I got to meet Team Banshee!" he gushed as he waddled out the door.

Dinner was a quieter affair than normal, with both Teams Siren and Triple S out on expeditions. But it was lively all the same. Afterwards, the residents played poker, where Carys successfully conned Kiro out of all his Grass Gummis.

"Hustler," he muttered angrily. Carys only winked jovially as she ate all 38 Gummis in one sitting.

When it became time for bed, Ezra and Carys each wolfed down a Sleep Seed, with the Lunar Wing lying on their dresser.

They fell asleep, and remained so for ten hours.

* * *

**Plot-wise, not a very exciting chapter, I know. But the next post...**_**that's **_**where the **_**real**_ **fun begins~**

**As for the opener, I will leave it up to you guys to decide what exactly it means in terms of the story. Don't worry, eventually I'll tell you. **_**Eventually**_**. **

**The next post includes: a foreign Banette, reports of a monster, and a Barren Wasteland.**


	83. Chapter 83

Ezra and Carys woke at exactly nine in the morning. They felt energized and ready to take on the world, having slept for 21 out of the past 48 hours.

Ezra yawned and stretched as she climbed out of bed. Aside from keeping her asleep last night, Cresselia had also gifted Ezra with a pleasant dream of becoming a Perfect Rank, the highest rank an exploration team could be. Currently, Team Siren were the only living Perfect Ranks. The amazing dream had put her into quite the good mood this morning.

She and Carys headed into the cafeteria, much to the residents' surprise.

"Hey, you're up!" Ambrose exclaimed in astonishment.

Carys explained what Cresselia had done for them as Franziska laid out a five-feet-tall stack of pancakes out on the table. The pancakes wobbled precariously as syrup and toast were also laid out. Noibat carefully doled out the pancakes, flying from the top of the stack to a plate and back again. The residents eagerly dug in.

"Mm, apparently there are reports of a monster up in Verde Town," Roman said through a mouthful of pancakes, tapping the newspaper he was reading.

"Oh really?" Kiro raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, supposedly there's something rampaging and terrorizing the town. It's attacked them a few times as well, and there's a photo taken yesterday right here," Roman nodded, and everyone crowded around to look at the photograph.

The shot showed a crumbling brick house. There was a large hole in the right side, and there were also scorch marks and jagged slashes all around the ravaged building. The roof also appeared to have been struck by lightning, and ice littered the ground surrounding the building.

"The culprit is too fast for anyone to see clearly, apparently, but everyone agrees that the perpetrator is small, purple, and flies," Roman went on. Ezra frowned. The scorch marks indicated a fire-type, but there were no purple fire-types that could fly, aside from a Chandelure.

"Could it be a Chandelure? And where is Verde Town? I've never heard of it," she asked.

"It's _way_ over on the northeastern side of the continent. It was one of the first places to be hit by the storm last week. No, the perp isn't a Chandelure. You see the lightning? It looks fresh, and there hasn't been a thunderstorm there since the storm. My guess is, combined with the fire and ice, it's Tri Attack. Chandelures can't learn Tri Attack. But no purple Pokemon can learn Tri Attack…" Mercury frowned.

"Are you talking about the monster?" asked Rose, walking into the cafeteria. The group nodded.

"There's a Banette from Verde Town downstairs. She's asking for help in regards to the monster." Rose informed.

"Bring her up! Something's obviously terrorizing the town. I'd certainly like to know what it is," waved Grayson.

Rose obliged, and a moment later she brought a trembling Banette into the commons room.

"Hello there, miss! You say you're from Verde Town?" Roman boomed eagerly. The Banette nodded, her lip quivering.

"Y-yes, I am. I assume you ull read the pehper thees morning, about the munster?" she asked in an odd accent Ezra had never heard before.

The Banette rolled her r's, and the 'aw' sound sounded more like the 'u' in 'hull', or 'mulberry'. The word 'all' sounded more like 'ull' in the Banette's strange accent. The 'ay' sound, like 'paper', sounded more like 'eh'. And the 'ih' sound in 'this' came out to sound more like 'thees'. All in all, Ezra found it a bit hard to understand the Banette.

"Yes, we did," Seadra nodded.

"Good. I've come to Leely Town to ask for your help. You suh ['saw'? Ezra's brain supplied,] the peecture, yes? That munster ees harassing us! We are afred to go outside, because we are afred we weel be attacked! Please, I ask you, help us!" the Banette begged, breaking into sobs.

"There, there. Of course we'll help you! Verde Town won't have to worry anymore!" Rose comforted her.

"Th-thank you...You are ull so kind…" the Banette sniffed. She turned towards Ezra and Carys.

"I've heard so much about the fehmous Team Banshee...Eef eet's nut too much to ask, would you do thees giant fehvor for us?" she asked shyly.

"Of course! We'll all help you," Ezra nodded, gesturing around the room. The Banette's eyes went wide.

"Oh! No, no, I beg of you! Too many Pokemun might scare eet aweh...Eet's very good at hiding...We wunt thees creature arrested, nut dreeven eento hiding! No, no, eet ees sehfe for only Team Banshee to go," the Banette protested.

"Ah, makes sense. Wouldn't want to scare it off," sighed Mercury.

"We'll go as well. You'll need someone to escort the culprit to prison. Besides, I'm sure this thing has multiple hideouts, and it'll take too long for Ez and Carys to explore them all," offered Sips.

"Ah, no, that's fine, thank you," the Banette shook her head.

"I insist," Blue Hood said formally. The Banette hesitated, then sighed.

"Very well...there's one or two dungeens that we've tracked the creature to. But they are too strung for us. Many ghost-types…"

"We can handle them. Give us a few minutes to get ready, and we'll meet you outside of town," Ezra smiled assuringly.

"Good luck, you guys!" Kiro called after the seven as they left the Lofts.

Ezra and Carys separated from the HB and the Banette. The duo deposited their money, and stood outside Kangaskhan Storage.

"A lot of ghost-types, huh? Maybe we should take out the Nether Globe?" frowned Ezra outside the shop.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," shrugged Carys.

After some thought, Ezra swapped her Trap Scarf for the Nether Globe. She felt oddly vulnerable, now that she was susceptible to traps once more. They met the Hooded Brotherhood and their client outside town, and the Banette led them northeast, to Verde Town.

* * *

**Verde Town**

It was dark and cold by the time the group finally arrived at the town. Snow had started to fall, and small brick cottages in various states of disrepair littered the quiet streets of the small town.

"That beelding weeth the broken cheemney, that ees a very good eenn. You should sleep there for tonight, and tomurrow we weel go out and tehke down that wretched munster!" the Banette pointed to a two-story building whose chimney looked like it had been sliced clean in half.

"Th-thanks," Ezra nodded, shivering in the cold.

"I weel collect you tomurrow morning. Good night," the Banette nodded as she walked off. She didn't seem to mind the cold one bit.

"I've n-n-ever heard an a-accent like that b-before," Ezra commented to her fellow monster hunters after the Banette was out of earshot.

"Sh-she's not from th-this continent, I can t-t-tell you that. But…" Cave frowned.

"What?" inquired Carys.

"I swear I've h-heard that accent b-b-before…" Cave mused.

"R-right? I know w-we have, but I can't pl-place where," Sky sighed.

"I'm freezing o-o-out here. Let's g-go inside," Blue Hood said impatiently.

The six entered the inn, finding a terrified-looking Gabite at the front desk.

"Oh! Visitors. Hello," he said, flustered.

"We're h-here to take care of the m-monster," informed Ezra. The innkeeper brightened.

"Are you really? That's wonderful news! We've been plagued by that wretched thing for days. It won't let any supplies enter or exit the town. We're starting to run out of food...I do hope you succeed," he sighed, handing them two room keys.

The teams found their rooms, and Ezra saw that the clock in Team Banshee's room read nine. The six met in the dining hall for a late meal of watery soup, and soon after they went to bed. Ezra woke in the middle of the night to a loud screeching noise, but it sounded far off. Chilled, she warily drifted back to sleep.

After a meager breakfast, the Banette met them outside the inn like she had promised.

"The first dungeen ees where I theenk the munster spends most of eets time een. I'm nut sure how lung eet ees, though," the Banette said as she led the team out of the quiet town and into the snowy wilderness.

As the seven passed, Ezra saw faces huddled in the windows. But they always disappeared before she could see what they belonged to. The streets were bare, and above snow fell silently. It was almost as if this was a ghost town. The residents must be very frightened for them to be afraid to come out.

"We can t-take that one," Carys nodded, teeth chattering.

"I agree. HB, there ees another dungeen a few hours aweh from the first that the munster likes to hide een as well. But...eet's deeffeecult. _Very_ deeffeecult..." the Banette trailed.

"Don't w-worry about it; w-we can handle it," Sips waved her off.

A few hours later, they came to the beginning of the first dungeon. There was nothing there except snow and piles of dirt. It was a complete wasteland.

"Normally there ees a grassland here. But thees summer we had a terreeble drought that turned most of the land eento dust," the Banette explained sadly.

"Hopefully y-y-you guys'll g-get some rain s-soon," Ezra sympathized, turning to the Banette and HB.

"Well, we're o-off. Good l-luck," she nodded.

"Thehnk you so much for your kindness. Team Banshee and the HB certainly leeve up to their reputehtions," the Banette nodded solemnly.

"Good l-luck," Blue Hood saluted. Team Banshee mimicked the gesture, and without a word they entered the barren wasteland.

* * *

**Barren Wasteland ( watch?v=YPnh-KV5NVI)**

**B1F**

They found themselves in a large room. The ground was made of hard-packed earth, and the walls were simply tall piles of dirt. That was it. There was nothing else to the dungeon. At least it was slightly warmer in here.

"Wow. This place could sure use some color," frowned Carys.

"Dunno why someone would want to live here. There's nothing in it! At least Zekrom's place had some personality," agreed Ezra, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, we'd better get going before the monster—whatever it is—decides it wants to raid the town again," Carys said after a minute.

Ezra nodded, and activated the Nether Globe. It lit up, and began happily orbiting the duo.

Not sure what they would find up ahead, they set forth.

**B2F**

To Ezra's intrigue, they spawned with a Lampent. She stared up at the evolved form of her. So, this was what they looked like in the flesh, huh?

"Hi," she said.

The Lampent said nothing, only threw a Shadow Ball at her. The Nether Globe activated, shielding the duo with a purple dome. Ezra threw a Hex back at it.

The Lampent's eyes screwed shut as it sailed backward. Then it shook its head, and a deep crimson aura surrounded it. Suddenly, Ezra felt weak, so weak that she collapsed onto the ground. It was an effort just to raise her head. The Lampent fell to the ground, weakened as well.

"Memento…" Carys whispered pitifully. Ezra only scowled and used the majority of her remaining energy to defeat the wayward Lampent with Night Shade.

They then dragged themselves over to a nearby Wonder Tile, gasping in relief as their strength returned to them.

**B3F**

There was an Aggron and Gliscor blocking their way in a hall. Carys ducked into the wall adjacent to Ezra to deal with the Gliscor.

She started off with Inferno, but to her dismay something snapped and she wasn't able to bring power to her flame. The Aggron responded by shedding parts of its armor, its Autotomize making it lighter and somewhat faster.

Ezra said nothing, only rolled her eye and blasted the large foe with Flame Burst. It roared in pain, and soon after Ezra heard a pained grunt from the Gliscor.

The Aggron's tail glowed silver, and it turned around to brutally smack Ezra with its Iron Tail. Ezra was sent careening down the hall until she landed in the ground, creating a small rut. She lay stunned for a second as her back screamed in agony from the friction burn.

When the pain subsided, she got slowly to her feet and threw a Flame Burst down the hall. The Aggron, while lighter, was still too bulky to dodge effectively, and took the full force of the blow.

Carys paused to KO it with a critically-struck Razor Leaf before she KO'd the Gliscor with Seed Bomb.

"Have all the fun, why don't you?" Ezra grumbled playfully as she rejoined the team, rubbing her sore back.

**B4F**

"!sriatS" yelled Carys.

"How did you get the exclamation point...?" gaped Ezra, momentarily breaking the fourth wall.

"I have connections," replied Carys.

"_" said Remi.

**B5F**

There was a Murkrow and Phantump in the first chamber they came to.

Ezra got the Murkrow's attention with Flame Burst while Carys threw her Shadow Ball at the Phantump, who dodged.

The Murkrow turned around and began whipping up a Tailwind before giving Ezra a Mean Look. The Look immobilized her, making her unable to move a muscle.

The Phantump's tiny arm emitted a green aura in the shape of a stump. It then slammed this Wood Hammer down upon Carys, who gasped but wasn't overly damaged by the attack. She sent the Phantump packing with Shadow Ball, and kept the Murkrow at bay with Seed Bomb.

The Murkrow dove at Carys, Sucker Punching her cruelly and critically. Carys wailed, and faltered for a minute as she endured the pain.

The Phantump took advantage by using Phantom Force. It vanished, and a moment later it reappeared behind Carys and harshly slammed into her. Or, it would have, had the Nether Globe not stopped it.

Finally, Ezra could move again.

She started off by roasting the Phantump with Hex, and by catching the Murkrow's attention with Flame Burst. The Murkrow squawked and flew at Ezra, who threw another Flame Burst at it. It evaded, and continued to dive at Ezra's face, until an unexpected Razor Leaf from Carys dispatched it.

The surprised Ezra turned, to see a half-collapsed Carys moaning as she struggled to remain standing. The attack must have taken most of her remaining strength.

"You okay?" Ezra asked worriedly, coming over.

"Yeah...just need to...walk it off," Carys grimaced.

**B6F**

"Say, did Cresselia give you a pleasant dream last night?" asked Ezra as they walked through a chamber.

"Yeah. I dreamed I was queen of a candy kingdom. I had a chocolate castle, a soda moat, lollipop flowers, wafer roads, and gumdrop stones. I was munching on my taffy crown when I woke up," Carys chuckled. Ezra laughed.

"I dreamed we became Perfect Ranks, and that we were filthy rich with treasure," she said.

"Ooh, awesome. Maybe one day that dream'll become a reality," smiled Carys. Ezra smiled too.

That would be nice.

**B7F**

Carys tried to share a pear with the Stairs, but nothing happened.

"Where'd you even get that pear?" demanded Ezra.

**B8F**

There was a Skuntank and Metang in the hall. Carys ducked inside the wall to assist.

The Skuntank started off with Acid Spray, spitting orange fluid at her that made her skin itch like crazy.

"Argh, that's disgusting!" Ezra complained, scratching her body.

She retaliated with Flame Burst, grinning in satisfaction as the bullet of fire struck the smelly foe. It howled, and its front claws elongated and glowed purple. It then leaped for Ezra, raking her cruelly across her face with Night Slash. Ezra wailed, falling backwards.

As she landed, she heard the Skuntank moan, and looked up to see the last few seconds of a Seed Bomb attack from Carys. The Skuntank turned towards Carys, and upon seeing that she was unreachable, turned back towards Ezra—and was promptly pummeled with Flame Burst.

The Skuntank's claws elongated again, and once again Ezra was struck by Night Shade. The attack made her see stars, and when she finally had her wits about her, she witnessed Carys defeating the foe with Razor Leaf.

Ezra got up, scratching her body as she did so.

The Metang dutifully stepped up to fight, having waited patiently for the battle to end. It walked straight into a combined Shadow Ball and Flame Burst from the duo for its trouble.

It shook its head dazedly, and fired an orange Hyper Beam at Ezra, who dove into the adjacent wall to evade. As the powerful beam shot past, Carys ended the Metang mid-attack with Shadow Ball.

**B9F**

They spawned with Stairs and a Muk. Luckily, the Stairs were closer.

**B10F**

A Zangoose was with them in their spawn chamber. It began by holding out its hand and waggling its fingers at Ezra in a "come at me" gesture. Ezra felt enraged at the blatant Taunt. _This _little punk thought _it_ could defeat _her_?

She threw a Flame Burst at the Zangoose, howling in fury when it evaded. It jumped at her and began striking her repeatedly in Close Combat. While the blows didn't do all that much damage to her, they stung nevertheless.

The Zangoose paused to catch its breath, momentarily weakened. Ezra and Carys eagerly took advantage by using Inferno and Razor Leaf. The Zangoose fell, and didn't get back up again.

**B11F**

Ezra accidentally triggered a Grimy Trap. Now that she no longer had the Trap Scarf, the trap activated. Purple grime sprang from the trap, and all over their bag. The grime came off their bodies easily enough, but it soaked through their bag and onto their supplies.

"Argh, really?" complained Ezra, holding up two grimy apples.

"Nothing we can do about it now, except look for either fresh ones or a Cleanse Orb," sighed Carys.

Begrudgingly, the moved on.

**B12F**

"Things that rhyme with Stairs: pears, cares, fairs, lairs, and wares," laughed Carys.

**B13F**

They found a Primeape and far-away Musharna in a giant chamber. Ezra made eye contact with the Primeape, and for whatever reason this was enough to send it into a boiling rage. It literally _threw_ itself straight at Ezra.

She balked, and a split second later her face was repeatedly Thrashed and bashed by the enraged Primeape.

She screamed, making her flame rise in defense. She felt it singe the Primeape, but the thing was so furious it didn't even feel the pain.

As her black eye was punched, she let out a roar of anguish, and desperately called up an Inferno. To her relief, something clicked, and presently the Primeape was blasted away from her, engulfed in blue fire.

As Ezra wolfed down an Oran Berry, Carys dispatched the raging foe with Shadow Ball.

A moment later, a mystical chant made them all turn. It was the Musharna's Lucky Chant, shielding it from critical hits.

Carys summoned candy, grabbing a lollipop and sticking it into her mouth as the Musharna was changed into a psychic/ghost-type.

It didn't seem to mind, and Curled itself up in Defense. Team Banshee didn't care. They blasted the Musharna with Shadow Ball and Hex.

It didn't appear fazed, and a light blue aura surrounded it. The smoke on its head grew and moved towards Carys, enveloping her in pink mist. Carys blinked, then her eyes grew drowsy. She promptly fell asleep.

Ezra only sighed, and threw a Night Shade at the Musharna. It flinched, and shot a colorful Psybeam from its mouth, but Ezra weaved out of the way.

She tossed her Hex at the pink and purple enemy, and _finally_ it was knocked out.

Carys woke up a few minutes later.

**B14F**

Ezra's belly rumbled. She balked, not wanting to have to eat Grimy Food. But she didn't know how long this place was, and she hadn't seen any food in this entire place.

She probably had no choice.

"I have to do it," she said grimly as she took out a grimy apple out of their bag. Carys winced, but didn't say anything.

Her hand trembling, Ezra brought the grimy apple to her mouth, and bit it. Instantly she gagged, her taste buds assaulted with the most horrid taste she's ever encountered. It was like eating sewage!

But she bravely choked down the rest of the apple, feeling her body seize up as her belly tried its hardest to keep the food down.

"You okay?" Carys asked worriedly.

"I can't move," Ezra said through gritted teeth. It was true; her body had become immobilized. She began grinning to help stave off the nausea.

After a few tense moments, her belly settled down, and she could move again. The first thing she did was gulp down a sweet-tasting Oran Berry to get the rotten taste out of her mouth. The berry helped, though not by much.

"Better?" Carys asked sympathetically.

Ezra could only nod.

**B15F**

There was a Dusknoir and Muk in their way while they were wandering aimlessly down a hall. Carys went into the wall beside Ezra as the Dusknoir sent out a purple wave of Hex. The attack collided with the Nether Globe's shield, protecting Ezra from the super-effective attack.

Ezra laughed and threw her own Hex at it in return.

The Dusknoir dodged, and gave Ezra a Mean Look. Her traitor body seized up, preventing her from moving.

"Hey Ez, the Muk keeps using Acid Armor. Whatever will we do?" Carys laughed as she surprised the Dusknoir with Shadow Ball.

It stumbled forward, not expecting the attack at all, it turned to Carys, and tried to immobilize her with Mean Look as well. But, as Carys was inside the wall, she was safe.

So, the Dusknoir went into the wall as well, leaving Ezra helpless against the Muk, who slithered closer to her.

The Muk Belched loudly, but the attack didn't do anything, as it had not eaten any berries recently.

"Really?" Ezra asked.

Instead, the Muk decided to Drench her in purple Venom. Again, the attack didn't do anything, as Ezra was not poisoned.

"Again I say it: _really_?" Ezra taunted as her body returned to normal.

The first thing she did was throw a Hex at the Muk, who blanched as it was struck. It tried to throw a Gunk Shot at her, but Ezra countered by sending out a Flame Burst that struck the attack mid-air and rendering both ineffective.

Not skipping a beat, Ezra tossed another Flame Burst at the foe, and to her surprise Carys defeated it with Shadow Ball.

Ezra watched as Carys came out from the wall, looking tired.

"It tried to use Mean Look, 'cause all of its other attacks are ghost-type moves. You wanna know how I avoided it? I closed my eyes," Carys grinned.

Ezra guffawed.

—**Waypoint—**

To their surprise, they came to a waypoint.

The walls had changed from piles of dirt to tan stone, and small pebbles now littered the floor. It was a small improvement to the barren landscape, but an improvement nonetheless.

"Huh. I guess this place isn't _that_ long," Ezra commented as she touched the Kangaskhan statue.

Just then, they heard a high-pierced shriek coming deep within the dungeon. The duo froze. Was that the monster…?

"Should we go and get the HB?" Carys asked nervously. Ezra was tempted to for a second, but changed her mind.

"No, we've come too far already. Besides, if we went to fetch the HB, it might leave," she shook her head.

"I guess you're right. Shall we?" sighed Carys.

"Let's," Ezra said nervously as they warily moved onwards.

**Deep Barren Wasteland ( watch?v=nWbBI569XkU)**

**B1F**

The new terrain looked exactly like the waypoint. Tan stone walls, and hard-packed earth with scattered pebbles. Nothing new.

"Hm, so do we have 15 more floors, then?" asked Carys, frowning.

"No, I think only ten. Dark Fissure was 25 floors, but were split 15/10," Ezra shook her head.

"Well, I'm glad this place won't be terribly long. Onwards?" Carys offered.

"Yes," Ezra nodded, and together the duo set forward.

**B2F**

There was a Skuntank and Murkrow blocking them as they were heading down a short hallway. Ezra dealt with the Skuntank, as Carys was doubly weak to both enemies.

Strangely, though, the Skuntank began with Memento, causing Ezra to become so weak she could hardly stand. Carys was unaffected, being in the wall, so she gleefully defeated the Skuntank with a Razor Leaf.

Ezra, for her part, flopped down into the wall and out of harm's way.

The Murkrow squawked in indignation and tried to walk away, but Carys pelted it with Seed Bomb. Angrily, it attempted to fight back with Foul Play, but crashed into the wall Carys was inside instead.

"Idiot," Carys snorted as she hit it with Razor Leaf.

Ezra managed to summon up a Flame Burst, and just like that the two dumb foes were gone.

She dragged herself out of the wall, and stumbled along until she came upon a Wonder Tile.

**B3F**

"STAIRS!" Carys shouted at the top of her lungs, causing Ezra to flinch violently.

"I'm right _here_!" Ezra yelled back.

**B4F**

They spawned with a Phantump and Aggron. The Phantump started off with Horn Leech, the branches on its head glowing green as it rushed at Ezra. The Litwick merely stopped it in its track with Hex, and a quick follow-up of Flame Burst left it unconscious and unable to battle.

Meanwhile, Carys had used Trick-or-Treat on the Aggron, who was busy upping its defense with Iron Defense.

"Really?" Ezra asked, her eyebrow raised, as she pummeled it with Night Shade.

The Aggron howled and slammed into Ezra, who had the breath knocked out of her by the Double Edge but wasn't overly hurt.

"That wasn't nice!" she chastised while punishing it with Hex. One swift Seed Bomb from Carys later, and they were good to go.

**B5F**

"What should our battle plan be?" asked Carys as they were walking down a hall.

"Same as Zekrom, I suppose. Hit it with seeds, then go all out. But since it's so fast… we'll have to aim our attacks for where it's _going_ to be, not where it _is_," Ezra mused.

"And something that speedy is bound to have weak defenses," nodded Carys as they entered a chamber.

"It can't dodge forever. Sooner or later it's bound to slip—DAMN IT!" Ezra roared as she triggered a Warp Trap.

"Why?!" she screamed at the universe.

**B6F**

The next chamber they came to held a Zangoose and Primeape. Ezra squared off with the Zangoose while Carys dealt with the Primeape.

Ezra started off with Flame Burst. The volley spread to hit the Primeape, much to its enragement. It turned, steaming coming from its nose, but luckily Carys diverted its attention back to her with Shadow Ball.

The Zangoose hissed as it was hit, and dove at Ezra, its claws elongating into an X-shape.

Ezra grunted as she stumbled backwards over the force of the X-Scissor. It hurt, but thankfully her type advantage lessened the blow.

She recovered and threw another Flame Burst. The Zangoose dodged, and the bit of fire that struck the Primeape somehow defeated it, leaving only the Zangoose. Carys must have whittled its health down enough so that the weak attack was enough to defeat it.

Together, the duo faced off against the Zangoose. Carys threw a Seed Bomb at the white-and-red foe, and it easily dodged—straight into Ezra's Flame Burst.

It skidded to a halt, yelling in both surprise and anger as it tried frantically to brush off the burning ashes on its fur. While it was momentarily distracted, Carys stepped forward and brutally KO'd it with a critically-struck Razor Leaf, courtesy of her Fickle Ribbon.

**B7F**

They spawned with a Gliscor. Carys immediately caught its attention with Razor Leaf, and the ground/flying-type whirled around and dove for Carys, its pincers glowing a bright white.

"Guillotine!" hissed Ezra, recognizing the powerful attack.

"I know!" Carys shouted, dodging at the last second. The Gliscor's pincers became stuck in the ground. It chittered angrily, trying to pull them out.

The duo easily KO'd the trapped foe with Night Shade and Razor Leaf.

**B8F**

Carys recklessly threw herself down the Stairs, much to Ezra's alarm.

**B9F**

The Gourgeist didn't seem hurt, to Ezra's utmost relief. She then noticed that a Musharna had spawned with them. Right off the bat it used Hypnosis, its pink mist sending Ezra deep into dreamland.

She soon found herself with Cresselia in Lily Town again, having forgotten to put the Lunar Wing away yesterday.

"Hello Ezra. Is everything alright?" Cresselia asked formally.

"Ah, yeah. Sorry, I meant to put away the Lunar Wing yesterday, but it seems I forgot. I was just Hypnotized by a Musharna. Carys and I are dealing with Verde Town's monster," Ezra explained sheepishly.

"I've heard rumors of a strange beast terrorizing that town lately...Well, I am glad you are helping them," Cresselia nodded in approval.

"Yeah. We're in a place called Barren Wasteland. Do you know of it?" asked Ezra.

"_What_?!" shrieked Cresselia in alarm, startling Ezra. "Why are you at Barren Wasteland?! ...Ah. I see now. I know who that monster is. He wouldn't return to his home unless he wanted to bait someone into coming for him. Tell me, did someone ask you to defeat the 'monster'?" Cresselia asked grimly.

"Uh, yeah, a Banette with a strange accent…" Ezra faltered, growing uneasy. Cresselia looked up in alarm.

"A Banette with an accent? Tell me, deed she tulk like thees?" asked Cresselia in a perfect imitation of their client's accent. Ezra nodded.

"Ezra, you and Carys need to get out of there _right now_. That Banette is—"

And suddenly, Ezra's reality shifted back to the dungeon. Carys was standing over her.

"Somehow I picked up a Heal Seed. I beat the Musharna and fed you that," Carys explained brightly.

Disturbed, Ezra told Carys Cresselia's warning.

"So, what, the Banette is evil, or something?" Carys frowned after Ezra got done.

"I guess? That's what it sounded like. Cresselia seemed to know her, and not in a good way," shrugged Ezra.

"She _did_ ask for us specifically, when anyone else would have sufficed. And she _did_ protest when we suggested we all go…" mused Carys.

"But why? Why us?" Ezra asked. Then she realized the answer, and groaned.

"She's Dark. They hate us because of what we did four months ago. She wanted us to travel far away from our friends, so we would be alone. Cresselia said that the monster was here as bait. And now we're falling right into their trap," she sighed.

"Should we go back home?" inquired Carys, holding out the Escape Orb.

"...No. If we leave, then there's no telling what the Banette or the monster will do to the town as revenge. The town's blood would be on our hands. We can't give up now. We've taken down Team Renegade, and the Creation Trio; this monster will be nothing compared to them," Ezra said after a moment.

"What about the HB? They're alone with the Banette," asked Carys worriedly.

"They should be fine. The Banette will probably lead them to a difficult dungeon far away from here, so it'll take them hours to come back here if they realize they've been duped," Ezra shook her head.

"Has your Pickup Ability given us any orbs?" she asked suddenly.

"Uh...just a Decoy Orb. Why?" Carys asked, tilting her head. Ezra nodded.

"Good. When we arrive at the end of the dungeon, use that. That way, the monster and anyone else who might be around will think it's us, and strike. Then when they're distracted, we'll knock them out," she said.

"That might work...Alright, let's do it," Carys smiled tentatively.

With a new plan, they set forth.

**B10F**

They spawned with a sleeping Metang. One Flame Burst and Shadow Ball later, and they no longer had a Metang to deal with.

The Stairs turned out to be in the third room they came to. They approached it cautiously, as if it might spring at them suddenly.

"If I'm right, the monster is on the other side. We can still leave. Do you want to do this?" Ezra asked with a nervous look at Carys, suddenly getting cold feet. The Gourgeist gulped, but nodded.

"Let's do it. Either way, the monster is terrorizing Verde Town. Trap or not, it's our duty to put an end to this. We're Team Banshee! Nothing stops us! Plus, I want to see who's behind all this," Carys said.

"Right," Ezra said hollowly.

Not sure what would meet them on the other side, they cautiously descended.

* * *

**If you're having trouble with the Banette's accent, just remember:**

**eet=it; ees=is; een=in** '**ih' gets switched with 'ee'**

**afraid=afrehd; paper=pehper; take=tehke** '**ay' is switched with 'eh'**

**all=ull; long=lung** '**aw' is switched with a deep 'uh' sound, like in 'dull'**

**Essentially, all I did was swap out phonetics. I will warn you, though, if you're having a hard time with her accent, you're going to dislike the rest of the story, and next year's project. Thankfully, though, she's not **_**that**_ **big of a character. And we'll learn her name in the next installment, which will include: the monster, Dark plots, and K.**

**Happy Thanksgiving!**


	84. Chapter 84

**Barren Clearing**

"Go!" hissed Ezra quietly as they arrived at the end of the dungeon. Snow was falling steadily around the sparse, dull landscape.

Carys quickly broke the Decoy Orb, creating two lifelike substitutes of Ezra and Carys. The real Team Banshee vanished from view, visible only to each other.

They waited tensely for the monster to pounce. After a few moments, something large and purple leaped out from behind a boulder and attacked the decoys. As it was busy ripping the dummies into shreds, Team Banshee stepped up and solidly nailed the creature with Flame Burst and Shadow Ball.

"Urgh!" huffed the monster as it was knocked to the ground. It got up and shook its head as the remains of the decoys disappeared and the real Team Banshee reappeared.

Ezra took a good look at the monster as it stared menacingly at them. It was tall and purple, with piercing red eyes, and an insectoid body with claws at the end of all its limbs. On its back was some sort of cannon-like apparatus. There were no signs of wings or anything the creature could use to fly with, contrary to the reports.

"...Are you the one terrorizing Verde Town?" Ezra asked it, getting right to the point. The creature crossed its arms.

"I am. I feel quite honored, though. The famous Team Banshee is here to stop me. I didn't realize I was so special," the monster had a deep, calculating voice that made Ezra wary. This Pokemon was no idiot, that was for sure.

"Cut the act. We know the Dark schemed for us to come here, with you as bait," Carys crossed her arms as well. The Pokemon tilted his head slightly, as if amused.

"You saw through Sonya's ploy to get you here, and yet you came here anyway, fully knowing this was all a set-up? ...I don't know whether to commend your bravery or laugh at your stupidity," he chuckled.

"Who are you? Why is the Dark after us?" demanded Ezra.

"My name is Genesect. You could say I am the legendary of hunting and survival. My species are ruthless warriors, dedicated to being at the top of the food chain. As for why the Darkness desires your presence...well. You will know that after I prove to you why I am feared," Genesect leered menacingly as he got into a battle stance.

* * *

**Boss Battle ( watch?v=qM8uPGGaUmQ)**

**Weather Condition: Snow**

"What type is he?" Ezra whispered to Carys, keeping a careful eye on Genesect.

"Uh...at least bug. He might have another type, but I can't remember," Carys whispered back as she summoned candy using Trick-or-Treat. Genesect seemed amused by the rain of candy above him.

"Trick-or-Treat? You _really_ think Trick-or-Treat will help you? Oh dear," he said, idly grabbing a piece of taffy and popping it into his mouth.

"You're awfully confident for someone who's outnumbered," Ezra pointed out.

"The odds are on my side. Watch," Genesect's body hummed, and presently his limbs began folding up into his body. His head connected with the cannon on his back, leaving him floating in the air in a sort of saucer-like form.

"Oh. Well. That's a thing," Ezra faltered, not expecting that at all.

Genesect chuckled, and he rushed for Ezra, becoming nothing but a purple blur. Ezra hardly had time to blink before a sharp pain swept through her body, knocking her straight to the cold snowy ground.

The flying Genesect reappeared over by the boulder, watching as Ezra got painfully to her feet.

"My high-speed flight form is too fast for anyone to comprehend. Do you see now why you won't win?" he asked.

In response, Ezra threw a Flame Burst at him. He easily dodged, and the fiery attack landed in the snow, sizzling menacingly. Carys threw a Shadow Ball at his location. Genesect flew to the left—and straight into Ezra's incoming Hex. He paused, shaking his head in bewilderment.

"Not so fast you can't be hit," observed Ezra.

"Oh, you two are a treat," Genesect chuckled lowly as he disassembled himself into his standing form.

The beam on his back began glowing orange, and presently a large orange beam shot out of the cannon and completely enveloped Carys in its power. As Carys wailed, Ezra winced, feeling the force of the attack from where she was standing.

When the beam dissipated, Carys was left covered in bruises. She stood strong, though, glaring intensely at Genesect.

"That attack is a normal-type attack," she said.

"Techno Blast? Right now, yes. Unfortunately, I don't have my drives with me, otherwise I would change the type of my signature move. Oh well, we can't have everything," he said back as a red, blue, and yellow triangle formed in front of him.

He chucked the Tri Attack at the duo. Ezra leaped out of the way, and she heard no cry from Carys. Spinning on her feet, she quickly threw a Flame Burst where Genesect would have landed. But he bounced out of the way and towards Ezra, hitting her with a rapid Slash as he moved by her. She scowled, nursing the red line on her torso as he bounded back for second go-around.

This time, as Genesect dove for her, she braced herself, readying her flame. When Genesect was inches away, she rapidly extended her flame so that it was three times its normal height. Genesect, who had been leaning forward, was caught face-first in the fire as he struck Ezra once more.

She knelt down briefly, wounded, but got back up again, grinning viciously. Totally worth it.

"Argh!" Genesect grunted, clutching his burned face. He then stumbled backwards as Carys hit him with Shadow Ball, taking advantage of his distraction.

Ezra prepared an Inferno, calling up her power. But their purple foe stopped them both in their tracks as he began emitting a high-pitched Bug Buzz. Ezra's attack dissipated as her focus was then shifted to blocking out the annoying sound. She peeked her eye open, watching Genesect carefully. This would be an excellent opportunity for him to attack them.

To her surprise though, Genesect was instead shifting into flight form. The Bug Buzz miraculously ended, and Genesect briefly disappeared, only to reappear again a second later.

"...What was that fo—RAHHHHHH!" Ezra began to ask, but out of nowhere a sharp stab of pain erupted on her side. Dimly, she registered that Carys was also screaming as well.

"Apparently I'm faster than pain receptors," observed Genesect idly. Gritting her teeth, Ezra threw a Hex at him, angled towards the left. He easily evaded, and even evaded Carys' quick Shadow Ball. Ezra scowled. So they couldn't use that trick anymore.

"Steel!" exclaimed Carys. Ezra looked at her, confused.

"I just remembered now. He's bug/steel." Carys explained as Genesect yet again evaded her Razor Leaf.

"I like that combo," Ezra grinned wickedly as she threw a Flame Burst at the flying Genesect. Once more, he evaded. The volley of fire landed in the snow behind him, and a large plume of steam rose from the ground as the attack sizzled and melted the snow.

Genesect shifted back into normal form, and quick as a flash he sent a Tri Attack at Ezra, nursing his burns as he did so. Ezra was struck by the triangular attack, and felt paralysis seize her, making her unable to move. She gritted her teeth as Genesect prepared a Techno Blast.

Just as he fired the beam, Carys jumped in front of Ezra, shielding the Litwick with her body.

"Carys!" Ezra exclaimed a moment before the Gourgeist was hit by the orange beam. A white beam shone down upon Carys a second later. A second after that, Ezra's paralysis ended.

"You okay?!" Ezra demanded as she helped Carys back up.

"Y-yeah...Say, have you noticed it takes him a few seconds to switch between forms? I think that might be our best shot," Carys whispered.

"So it does...let's bait him into making that mistake," Ezra grinned wolfishly, narrowly avoiding Genesect's Slash. She hadn't been ignoring him at all during their conversation.

Eagerly, she retaliated with Night Shade, making Genesect flinch briefly before he began emitting Bug Buzz while preparing to shift between forms. It dawned on Ezra that that was how he protected himself during that vulnerable moment.

She caught Carys' eye, and the latter nodded. Enduring the noise, Ezra reached into their bag, and pulled out an X-Eye Seed. Moaning from the sound, she chucked the seed into Genesect's open mouth. The Bug Buzz ended immediately as Genesect swallowed the seed, a surprised look on his face. Then his eyes went cross-eyed, and the duo began hitting him with their all.

Flame Burst, Hex, Shadow Ball, Razor Leaf, and one more Hex. Ezra called up an Inferno, ready for this fight to be over. But Genesect recovered, and he brutally cut down Ezra with Techno Blast, bellowing in rage as he did so.

Ezra wailed, unable to take the hit on top of the wounds she'd already received. She fainted.

When she was revived, Genesect was in the middle of the clearing, panting hard.

"This...ends...now…" he panted, switching into flight form. He didn't even blink when the duo hit him with Night Shade and Shadow Ball.

When he switched into flight form, the team were struck over and over again by multiple Slashes. When the assault finally ceased, the duo fell to the ground, mouths open in silent screams. Genesect used this opportunity to switch to normal form without hindrance.

As soon as he was able to, he began emitting Bug Buzz once more as he leveled his cannon at Carys. Ezra saw, and stoically endured the pain to crawl over to their bag, which was near Carys, and grab an Oran Berry. Genesect watched her do this, and as soon as her hand closed around the berry he fired. The blast from the beam sent Ezra flying backwards, away from their bag. But she still had the berry in her hands. She heard the sound of a Reviver Seed, and ate the berry, feeling new strength wash over her, clearing her mind free of agony.

"If we can nail him with one more seed, we should be able to win. Have you noticed he can only use Slash when he's in flight form? He can't be like all the time, it seems," Ezra whispered to Carys, walking over to her.

"Gotcha. Next time he uses Techno Blast, I'll use this," Carys whispered back, subtly showing Ezra a Stun Seed, out of Genesect's vision.

They dodged Genesect's Tri Attack, having been keeping an eye on him during their brief conversation. Ezra feinted with a Hex to the right, then a Flame Burst to the left as he fell for the feint. He grunted as he was struck, then threw a Tri Attack back at Ezra in response.

Ezra let the attack hit her, hoping to goad Genesect into finishing her off with Techno Blast. She wailed as she was hit, dramatically falling backwards onto the cold, snowy ground.

Genesect took the bait, and began charging up his attack. When he fired, Ezra faced down the beam bravely, trusting Carys.

That trust was not misplaced.

"Yah!" yelled Genesect as he launched the attack. At that moment, Carys threw the Stun Seed as fast as she could. It hit its mark just as Genesect was closing his mouth.

"Ugh!" he grunted as paralysis overtook his body.

Ezra, having rolled out of the way of the powerful attack, raced over to Genesect, where he was struck with Hex and Shadow Ball.

"He's all yours," Carys winked, standing aside to let Ezra have the finishing blow.

Ezra directed all of her determination and anger into Inferno. The blue ball formed easily, and Genesect could only stand helplessly and watch as she launched the powerful blue beam of fire at him.

He howled at the top of his lungs as he was completely enveloped in blue, fiery glory. The ground all around him had been melted away, leaving absolutely no trace of snow.

* * *

As Genesect collapsed, so did Team Banshee, exhausted by the fight. After a few moments' rest, they got back up, tired but thrilled to have overcome the Dark's ploy.

"Come on, let's go rescue the HB and see if we can't find the Banette. We have some Dark Pokemon to arrest," Ezra grinned at Carys, who grinned back. Ezra picked up the Nether Globe, which had deactivated itself somehow. It was lying half-buried in the snow, towards the dungeon exit.

They left the unconscious Genesect there as they left the dungeon.

"I think the Banette was leading them this way…" Ezra pointed to the right, away from Verde Town. The afternoon air was crisp, with a hint of the coming evening's chill.

They followed a path heading that way, keeping a close eye out for the Banette. Presently, they left the wasteland and came to a dense pine forest that blocked out most of the light. Every so often, a plume of snow would fall from the upper branches of the snow-covered trees and down to the ground below. It was an eerie, silent scene, and Ezra was not unrelieved as she spotted the forest's exit.

"There!" she exclaimed, pointing to it.

But as they picked up their pace, something hard and heavy struck Ezra on the back of her head, and the Shiny Litwick was knocked unconscious.

She began to wake up a few times after that, but each time she vaguely heard voices, then something hard knocked her back out.

* * *

**Iridescent Fields Ravine**

The Hooded Brotherhood finally came to the end of the 99-floor-long Iridescent Fields. It had taken them hours to complete the challenging dungeon, and night was beginning to fall above.

A small pond lay in the center of the ravine. It was half-frozen, and in the trees surrounding it were iridescent icicles, lovely and sharp.

Sips, Cave, and Sky flopped down into the snow, thoroughly exhausted, while Blue Hood remained standing, surveying the area.

"...It doesn't appear there's anyone here," he said eventually.

"Good, that means we can take a nap," grumbled Sips, closing his eyes. Cave shook him awake.

"You're not supposed to fall asleep in the snow, idiot!" he chastised.

"Who are you calling idiot, idiot?" demanded Sips, throwing a snowball at Cave. The Golem dodged, and threw one of his own back at the Marshtomp.

"Ow! Hey, that one had a rock in it! That could've killed me!" Sips complained.

"_Knock it off,_" Blue Hood's stern voice made the two fall silent. He turned around.

"There's no reason for us to be here any longer. Let's go back to the beginning," he ordered.

When the HB came back to the beginning of the dungeon, their Banette guide was nowhere to be found.

"Where'd she go…?" asked Sky, looking around.

"Perhaps she went back to the Barren Wasteland, or back to Verde Town," suggested Cave.

The HB jogged over to the dungeon Team Banshee had gone through, where to their surprise they met Cresselia at the entrance.

"Hello, Lady Cresselia. What brings you here?" inquired Sips.

"Genesect," Cresselia said grimly. "He and Sonya lured Team Banshee here. Why, I don't know. I just hope it's not too late…"

"Wait. Sonya...Ivanova?" Cave asked, a horrified look on his face.

"The very one," Cresselia nodded gravely.

"I _thought_ she sounded familiar! She and Oksana have the same accent. Ohhh, this is bad. This is _real _bad," groaned Sky, pacing around in the snow.

"Hopefully they're all still in the dungeon. I was just about to go check. Come with me; I could use the assistance," Cresselia offered.

The five worried Pokemon entered Barren Wasteland, hoping they were not too late in saving their friends.

When they arrived at the clearing, however, all they saw was Genesect, sitting down and nursing his wounds. Team Banshee was nowhere to be seen.

"Where are they?" demanded Cresselia, foregoing all preamble as she stepped up to Genesect.

"Who?" Genesect asked innocently. Cresselia swiftly used Psycho Cut on him, making him cry out in pain.

"They're gone! They're long gone. You'll never find them."

"What about Sonya? Where are you keeping Ezra and Carys?" barked Blue Hood.

"She's gone, too. As for where Team Banshee are...I'll never tell. You can Psycho Cut me all you want. I'm not telling you a thing, Cresselia," Genesect sneered. He was knocked unconscious by Blue Hood's Bone Rush.

"I'll try and get my informant to tell me where they are. Perhaps _then_ she'll finally tell me the Dark's location," Cresselia said to the HB as they took the unconscious Genesect into custody.

"I just hope they can survive until then," she added with a sigh, staring up at the full moon above.

* * *

The first thing Ezra noticed was that her head hurt. A lot. Groaning, she opened her eye, and looked around, holding a hand to her aching head and feeling a large lump. She seemed to be underground, judging by the packed dirt walls and floor. Next to her was a sleeping Carys, who had a large lump on the back of her head as well. In front of her were bars, with a small iron door in the middle. Beyond the cell lay another iron door. They appeared to be in some sort of prison. But why? Ezra tried to remember the events that led up to this unexpected change of scenery, and recalled that the last thing she remembered was getting hit with something heavy. Ah. It seemed they had been kidnapped.

She turned to Carys, shaking her friend.

"Mmmmm?" Carys murmured, blinking her eyes open. Then, "Ohhhh, my head…"

Ezra let Carys wake up, look around, and register that they were now captives.

"Uh. What happened?" Carys asked, wincing as she rubbed the lump on the back of her head.

"Not sure. I think we were ambushed. *Sigh*, Cresselia _did_ warn us…" Ezra sighed bitterly, cursing her naive altruism.

"It's our own fault, then. Hey, see if you can melt these bars," Carys suggested. Ezra launched a Flame Burst, but the attack did nothing. Carys tried a Razor Leaf, but the leaves only clattered the floor.

"Hmm. Some kind of heat-resistant, reinforced steel, I'm guessing...Say, is it just me, or is it getting colder?" Carys frowned. Ezra noticed the temperature dropping as well.

The large iron door at the end of the room opened, and all at once a chilly blast of air swept into the room, causing Team Banshee to shudder.

A large gray-and-blue Pokemon entered the room, along with a Karrablast, Metang, Honchkrow, and a Banette.

The large Pokemon seemed to be the source of the cold. He was mainly gray and bipedal, with short arms and light blue wings that looked like icicles. His head was also light blue, and he had small yellow eyes and rows of sharp teeth. He radiated cold..

"Welcome, Team Banshee, to your new home. I am your host, Kyurem," he boomed regally. Ezra ignored him, and instead focused on the Banette.

"We b-beat Genesect. He w-was a pushover," she informed, her teeth chattering due to Kyurem's freezing aura. The Banette laughed.

"We had a feeling you might do that, so we brut een a backup plan! Eef Genesect were deefeated, then Team Deviant here would breeng you to heel eenstead!" she said, gesturing over to the other three Pokemon. The Karrablast stepped forward.

"We a-are the evil Team D-deviant! We are the sc-sc-scourge of mercy, the d-destroyer of peace, and the b-b-banisher of hope! These a-are Metang and Honchkrow. And I a-am the leader, the mighty K-k-karrablast!" the little Pokemon squeaked in a high-pitched voice, his teeth also chattering. Despite the situation, Ezra and Carys burst into a fit of giggles.

"Why d-do they always d-do that…?" Karrablast sighed.

"You're s-s-so tiny! Haha! And y-your _voice_! How can a-a-anyone—hahaha—take you s-seriously?! Ahh, we must b-b-be losing our touch, Ez, i-if we got knocked out b-by _this _little pipsqueak! Hahaha!" Carys guffawed.

"_Enough,_" boomed Kyurem, causing the girls' laughter to cease. "We've brought you here because, according to Team Deviant here, you two possess a certain map."

Ezra's eye went wide as she recalled that Monferno had been attacked by a Karrablast, Metang, and Honchkrow. And here the trio were.

"They're m-mistaken," Ezra shook her head.

"We s-saw the Monferno be t-taken to Lily Town. I w-was perched atop...wh-wh-what's it called...Mose's Lofts? S-something like that. I s-saw the Monferno hand you th-the map," Honchkrow informed.

"W-we didn't s-s-see you," protested Carys, shivering.

"Nobody ever looks up," the Banette said smugly.

She had their Lunar Wing in her hand. Smiling, the Banette summoned a Will-o-Wisp in her left hand, and used it to burn the Lunar Wing into ashes. Ezra watched in horror as the ashes crumbled to the ground, where the Banette then stomped them out.

"_Anyways,_ dearest Team Banshee, I would love it if you were to tell me where you're hiding that map. I'd hate to have to pillage Lily Town," Kyurem said.

"Don't you d-d-dare!" snapped Ezra.

"Then tell me where the map is."

"Why do y-you care?"

"Fair enough. You see, dear Ezra, that map leads to a dungeon called Decrepit Ruins. There is a seal across the entrance. Only the presence of one of pure heart can break it. At the end of the dungeon is an artifact known as the Nether Veil. That is Lord Giratina's special item. Were we to obtain that item, we can break the sleep seal on our Lord and bring our side to glory! Oh, I almost forgot. In order for the Nether Veil to appear, a sacrifice must be made. When someone dies on the sacrificial altar, that will allow the Veil to appear. You must realize where I'm going with this, right? I figured, why not sacrifice the two who defeated our Lord and killed our Champion?" Kyurem ended in a twisted smile. Ezra's blood ran cold.

"And since you two are being uncooperative, I shall let my protégée...persuade...you until you change your mind. Here she is now," Kyurem turned towards the door as a smiling Minun walked in.

"Hello! I'm Kay. S'up?"

* * *

Ezra and Carys were herded into a dark black room lit only by a few stubby candles. It was slighter warmer, now that they were away from Kyurem's aura, but it was still a bit chilly. The surroundings were somehow familiar, although Ezra couldn't place the feeling. The door shut, and the still-smiling Kay turned to face them.

"Hello, Ezra and Carys. I've heard a lot about you," she said amiably. Her voice and name were familiar, but again, Ezra couldn't place either.

"Your name sounds familiar…" frowned Carys. Since the air was stale but cold, Carys' breath was visible.

"Did Meloetta ever mention me? Or Lady Cresselia?" Kay asked with a wink. Oh. _Oh_. Kay was the spy, and Meloetta's childhood friend. Kay and K were phonetically identical. Ezra could have slapped herself for her stupidity.

Kay nodded, seeing the dawning on their faces.

"I'm the mystery spy for Lady Cresselia! I'm the only one left. The Dark caught the rest…" Kay frowned, no doubt remembering the deaths of her fellow conspirators.

"Meloetta's been worried sick about you! After your disappearance with...Detective Mawile, was it? You just dropped off the face of the earth! And why won't you tell Cresselia where this place is?" demanded Ezra, growing angry. If Kay had been doing her job, Team Banshee wouldn't have been kidnapped!

Kay sighed wearily.

"I know, I know. But I have my reasons. ...I guess I should start at the very beginning," the Minun said, sitting down on the black stone ground.

"Meloetta and I grew up in a village at the end of a dungeon named Singing Hills. We were the best of friends. But when she left for greener pastures, my life suddenly felt meaningless. She had been my only friend, and now she was gone. I fell into a depression that got worse over time. I kept finding it harder and harder to get out of bed, harder and harder to smile, harder and harder to care about the Pokemon around me. Finally, a little after the turn of last year, I decided I would end it all. When everyone was asleep, I snuck out to the river behind the village. Since it was the middle of winter, the water was freezing. Anyone who fell in would immediately be assaulted by the cold. I tied a boulder to my foot. I was just about to jump in when...Mawile found me. He asked me what I was doing. I told him, and he convinced me not to jump. We began talking for hours and hours after that, until the sun came up. I felt so much better, and then he asked me if I would like to become his apprentice. He was a detective who specialized in taking down dragon-types. I said yes, and after that my life turned around. I was finally happy again, now that my life had a purpose! He taught me the ways of the investigator, and together we took down many bad Pokemon. ...Those were the best days of my life. *Sigh*...then...one day, something happened," Kay narrated, a grave look on her face as she ended the first part.

"One day, in June, we caught wind of a trio of Pokemon who were kidnapping Shinies. Their name was Team Renegade. We soon learned they were after Mawile as well, since he's put away many Dark Pokemon in the past. They didn't know about me yet. So, we set up a trap for the trio. Mawile would lead them past a forest and into a narrow pass in the mountains, where I would be waiting to strike. It's actually not that far from Lily Town. The place we set up was perfect for an ambush. I would have the high ground advantage, and they would be boxed in on two sides. But...something went wrong, and Mawile was defeated before he could lead them to my spot. I didn't realize what had happened until an hour later. I went to look, but...they were gone. And just like that, my heart broke for the second time. I owed Mawile for saving my life, and now he was gone. I wept and wept for hours, until I was numb from grief. I spent the next couple days just lying there, not even getting up to tend to my body's needs. I was hungry and dehydrated, but I didn't care. Then...Cresselia visited me in a dream," Kay said, an odd note in her voice now.

"She asked me if I wanted to rescue Mawile. Of course I said yes. She told me I could rescue him, but only if I worked for her as a spy for the Dark. I agreed, ready to punish those who took him away from me. She told me I needed to gain the Dark's trust and give her information on their plans. I could do that. She then showed me where their base was, and handed me a Lunar Wing. She warned me that, if I wasn't careful, I would be killed. That didn't deter me in the slightest. I was a detective. I could be sneaky. When I woke up, I began to take care of myself again, regaining my strength until I was strong and healthy enough to start my task. I set out for the Dark Island, hoping Mawile was still alive. I managed to join the Dark, and I was given to Kyurem, who was a subordinate of Yveltal. I found Mawile in the dungeons, and it took all of my will not to break him out then and there. He was hurt, but alive. The Dark was keeping him alive, mainly to draw out his suffering, but also so that he could be there when the Dark won the war. With that reassurance that he would live, at least for a little while, I set about my task. I mainly watched, and learned. I passed on any information that I heard to Cresselia at night. I hid my Lunar Wing far away from the compound and Sealed Abyss. I'd speak to Cresselia once every week. When I was still with Mawile, I had trained myself to awaken at the slightest sound. That's how I kept myself alive if anyone were approaching while I was with Cresselia. I had a few close calls, but I managed to trick everyone that I was a loyal Dark member," Kay went on.

"But now that we've won, why are you still here?" asked Carys. Kay's lip trembled.

"When the Battle for the Dark Compound began, I ran straight for the dungeon, eager at last to end my charade and rescue the one who I owed a life debt to. I raced down the stairs, but I tripped and fell. When I came to, Kyurem and the dungeon warden, an Eelektross named Oksana, were busy executing all of the prisoners. I cried out, trying to get to my feet to stop them, but my arm had been dislocated from my shoulder. The pain was too much, and I blacked out again for a few seconds. I...I woke up just in time to...to watch Kyurem as he...killed...Mawile…" Kay's voice cracked, and tears were coming to her eyes.

Ezra, sensing that Kay was close to crying, respectfully looked away, and focused on the black stone walls. She looked for any weaknesses in the room that she could exploit to break free, but she found none. The room was a perfect cube.

"I watched him kill my best friend, and there was nothing I could do about it!" Kay sobbed behind her.

Ezra jumped. _That's_ why she knew this place, knew Kay's voice! She had seen this exact moment in Dialga's Roar of Time, over four months ago! She turned around, horrified.

Kay cried for a few minutes, but eventually she calmed down, a hard look on her face.

"I had almost no time to mourn him. Oksana and Kyurem heard my cry, and they hurried to fix my arm. Once I could move it again without pain, they told me to help them kill the prisoners. Thankfully, I was saved a response, for at that moment the Hooded Brotherhood burst in. Kyurem blew a hole in the ceiling with Dragon Pulse, leading to the surface. The dungeon is directly under the entrance to the compound, you see. He took my hand, and we fled the base. By that time, I was-and still am-Kyurem's favorite. We left Oksana behind, but she wouldn't have wanted to escape anyway. Knowing her, she would have preferred to fight. After the battle, after the world was saved, those who escaped went into hiding. Lady Cresselia asked me if I would stay on as spy the day after the Battle for Celestial Spire. I said yes. My best friend was dead, and his murderer still lived. I can't allow that to go on," Kay ended grimly, something cold in her eyes.

Team Banshee were silent, stunned by Kay's tale. She had been through so much, and in so little time.

"So...what are you doing here?" Carys asked timidly after a few moments.

"I'm waiting for the right moment to kill Kyurem," Kay informed.

"What?!" demanded Team Banshee.

"But...you're Light! Why not just have Kyurem and this sect arrested already?" protested Ezra. Kay shook her head.

"I'm not Light anymore, Ezra. But I'm not Dark, either. I'm...somewhere in between. I had to do things to innocent Pokemon to get me where I am today. Horrible things. Terrible things. Things that still haunt me in nightmares. Things that I'd rather not say aloud. But I had to do them, if I wanted to gain influence and access to things normal members couldn't dream of. I had to, if I wanted to save Mawile. This is all for him. I have to repay the life debt I owe him, for saving me. Killing Kyurem is the only way. Being arrested isn't good enough. Don't get me wrong, I still relay what I can to Lady Cresselia. But I can't let anyone stop me from what I have to do," Kay said, a warning glare in her eyes as she stared at Ezra and Carys. Kay might be on their side, but only if they didn't get in her way.

"I-I don't approve of what you intend to do, but right now, we need your help," Ezra put her hands up by her face, showing Kay that they wouldn't stop her. Kay nodded, relief plastered all over her face.

"Thank you. Really, thank you. I'm going to try and get you guys out of here, but it's going to take me a few days. Try and hold out until then. In the meantime, is there anything you'd like to know?" she asked, getting up. A million things came to Ezra's mind, but she didn't want to make an enemy out of Kay.

"Who's that Banette? The one with the accent?" she asked instead. Kay grimaced.

"Sonya Ivanova. A real piece of work, that one. From what I know of her, she and her half-sister Oksana fled their home country and came here. They lived on the streets for a few years, unable to speak this language fluently. They developed a taste for pain as they struggled to survive. Eventually, Giratina found them, and took them under his black wings. They learned to communicate with us, and they each displayed a talent for causing harm. Oksana went to become the warden of the dungeon, while Sonya joined the assassination team, Team Miasma. I'm not that surprised you haven't heard of her. Team Miasma were very, _very_ good at job, and even better at hiding their identities. Until I exposed them to Lady Cresselia~ Anyways, you'd best be on Son's good side. I might be second-in-command of this whole sect, but anger makes Pokemon do stupid things," Kay warned gravely.

"Where...are the rest of this Team Miasma?" Ezra asked cautiously, unnerved at the thought of trained killers around.

"Cradily, the leader, is here. Sonya's here. The last member, Binacle, was captured two months ago. Sonya's sister Oksana was arrested during the Battle, so at least you won't have to worry about her," Kay shrugged.

"What about Kialandi and Firnen? Are they here?" piped Carys. Ezra wanted to know that answer as well. The Vibrava and Fraxure had still not been seen since the death of their leader.

"No, they're not. I don't know where they are, to be honest. Last I heard, they were in the north, but I don't know if that's true," Kay shook her head.

"Anything else?" Kay asked. The duo shook their heads.

"Alright. Now...unfortunately, I have to hurt you both a little," Kay said, wincing.

"Why?!" demanded Ezra.

"If you return with no injuries on you, the others are going to get suspicious. I'll only do two Thunders each, okay?" Kay persisted. Ezra grimaced, recognizing the necessity of it.

"Get it over with," Carys said tersely, squeezing her eyes shut. Ezra did the same, and braced herself.

When the Thunder electrocuted her, she cried out in agony, fighting back a rising black wave that threatened to overwhelm her. She was just starting to push it back when the second Thunder came. She stood no chance against the wave this time, and she blacked out.

When she came to, Carys was receiving her second Thunder. The Gourgeist was biting her lip so hard, a trickle of blood was running down her chin. The sight of blood—let alone _Carys'_ blood—made Ezra's aching head spin uncomfortably, and she let out a weak moan.

Ezra's forehead tapped against the floor, then after a moment the light-headedness faded and she could eventually stand up again.

It hurt every part of her body to get up, but she was determined to show Kay that she was no weakling.

"I'm so sorry…" Kay whispered, her her ears drooping as she bowed her head.

"You did what you needed to do for our survival," Carys grunted, standing up as well. Kay's left ear twitched, and she looked towards the door.

"Team Deviant are approaching," she announced.

"Ugh, I can't believe that we got knocked out by them. How'd they even do it?" muttered Ezra.

"The best time to attack your opponent is when they think they've won. Don't beat yourself up over it; Team Deviant are actually quite strong. Karrablast is tougher than he looks. Also, don't make short jokes around him,," Kay advised a moment before the door opened. Immediately, she turned into her Dark persona.

"Aww. I was just starting to have some fun," she pouted, seeing her comrades at the door. The team and Kay escorted Team Banshee back to their cell. Sonya was leaning against the wall adjacent to the doors.

"They don't look that badly eenjured," she observed as Kay locked them in. Kay crossed her arms, throwing a distasteful glance at the duo. She was a very convincing actor. She had to be, to have made it this far.

"Turns out they're tougher than they look. Eh, all the more fun for me," she shrugged.

"Hm. _I_ would certainly like to have a go at them. Geeve me one hour, tups," Sonya grinned wickedly.

"Nah, we only need their wills broken. You'd just break their minds. Or their necks." Kay shook her head casually.

"True, true. Oksana was alwehys the careful one," Sonya sighed. "You have _no idea_ how deefeecult eet was nut to keel the HB yesterdeh. The arresters of my seester, right there! And I couldn't do a theeng!"

"Wait, _yesterday_?" demanded Ezra.

"Eet's after meednight, so yes. You two know what meednight ees, yes?" mocked Sonya.

"C'mon, Son, let's let the honored guests have their beauty sleep. They have a big day in the morning," Kay chuckled, casually throwing an arm around Sonya's shoulder and steering her towards the exit.

"Goodnight, my pretties!" Kay laughed as she closed the door, leaving Team Banshee all alone.

"How are we going to get out of this mess?" Carys asked after a minute. Ezra shook her head wearily.

"I don't know. But we have to hope Kay comes up with something, and soon," she said grimly.

* * *

**While Genesect has been taken care of, our heroes find themselves trapped by their enemies, their only hope lying in Kay. Will they escape? Or will they break, hoping to spare their friends from Kyurem's wrath? Only time will tell…**

**I recently began playing Super Mystery Dungeon. I do so love the dungeon graphics. The amount of detail put in them inspires me to improve on my own imagery. **

**The next fun installment shall include: Either a daring escape, or the map falling into Dark hands. (I can't give too many hints on this one without spoiling it)**


	85. Chapter 85

Cresselia visited that night. She, Xerneas, Ezra, Carys, and Kay were standing in the middle of a lush, verdant forest that was completely open to the night sky. The full moon was visible high above, shining down upon the five with its radiant and silver light.

"Ezra! Carys! Are you two okay?!" Cresselia demanded once the audience had formed.

"Bruised and battered, but otherwise fine," Ezra replied, rubbing the lump on her head where Team Deviant had hit her. It still ached, even now.

"Where are you? Do you know?" Xerneas inquired urgently, uncharacteristically worried.

"No, we're underground somewhere. We were knocked unconscious after we beat Genesect," explained Carys, shaking her head.

"I _told_ you not to continue!" Cresselia yelled.

"We had to stop him from terrorizing Verde Town!" argued Ezra.

"Even if they _had_ listened, Team Deviant was lurking around, waiting to ambush them," Kay added.

"UGH!" Cresselia seethed, her hands turning into fists. Ezra had never seen the normally cool and collected Cresselia so angry before.

Cresselia turned to Kay, her entire body quivering.

"Kay, listen to me _very carefully._ Where. Are. You?" she said through clenched teeth.

Kay didn't even falter as she replied, "I'm not telling."

"Why? You're putting these two in serious danger!" stormed Xerneas, stamping his forefoot.

"I'm going to get them out."

"How?!" chorused Cresselia and Xerneas.

"I'll think of something," was all Kay said. Cresselia stared at Kay for a few seconds, then promptly the Minun vanished from the dream-audience.

"I'll deal with her later. Right now, can you two tell me _anything_ about where you are? How long were you unconscious? Why do the Dark want you?" Cresselia sighed, turning to face Team Banshee.

"Uh...it was afternoon when we were knocked out, and after midnight when we woke up. We haven't seen anything that could let us know where we are. Everything here is made of black stone. Kyurem wants to sacrifice us at Decrepit Ruins to bring out the Nether Veil. That's all we've learned," Ezra answered.

"That's not much to go on...Ah, if only I knew where Decrepit Ruins was; I could set up a guard...I'll have to ask Arceus if It knows the location. In the meantime, I'm going to try and get your location out of Kay, Arceus damn her. Just...try and hold out until then. I feel so _helpless_!" Cresselia exclaimed bitterly, ending the audience.

* * *

Team Banshee woke to their prison getting colder and colder, indicating Kyurem's approach. This time, many other Pokemon were with him. There was a Typhlosion, Swanna, Camerupt, Lapras, Torterra, Roserade, Altaria, Duosion, Cleffa, Cradily, Houndour, Sliggoo, Croconaw, Mienshao, Ditto, Conkeldurr, Quilava, Togetic, and Celebi, along with Kay, Sonya, Team Deviant, Virizion, Keldeo, and Entei.

But, as the last two Pokemon piled in, Ezra saw who they were, and pointed an accusatory hand at them.

"Traitor!" she yelled at Glace and Caine of Team Rogue. Well, it was more aimed at Glace, as Caine was too simple to be evil. The Dark members stared at the duo in interest.

"You two know them?" Kay asked, tilting her head. Glace averted her gaze, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Um...yeah. They saw me talk to Formora, and tried to stop us when we joined the Dark," the Glaceon explained quietly.

"Hiya Ezra and Carys! Long time no see!" Caine beamed happily at them. The Herdier began wagging his tail enthusiastically.

"Hmph. I'm just surprised they fell for our trap. What complete morons," Celebi sniffed, crossing our arms.

"Have you forgotten we've beaten you before? Bet you we can do it again~" Ezra taunted, grinning viciously. Celebi started over towards them, but the Cradily blocked her by standing in front of her.

"Now, now, Cel. Let's not be hasty. We'll see how feisty they are after a few days of Kay's treatment," he said mildly.

"Indeed, although I am quite tempted to ravage Lily Town today. I never did master patience," Kyurem sighed, flapping his wings in excitement. A chilly gust of air blew through the room as a result.

"You could," Kay mused, "but I would much rather beat the fight out of them first. I do _so_ love seeing the hope die in victims' eyes. Besides, ravaging Lily Town would just give them something to live for. It'd give them purpose."

"...You make a good point. And that is why you're the best I could ask for as a second. Very well, I shall let you have your fun, dearest Kay," Kyurem smiled at her. Kay winked at him in return.

Team Banshee were then hauled out of their cell and thrown into the room they spoke with Kay in a few hours ago. Kay was locked inside with them.

"...So are Cresselia and Xerneas coming to rescue us?" Ezra asked after a moment. Kay shot her a warning glance before replying,

"No. Despite Lady Cresselia and Lord Xerneas practically chewing my head off, I didn't tell them. I'm _not_ letting them take my chance at revenge away! No matter what! But I'll think of something to get you guys out of here. I just need some time to think…" she said, flopping down on the ground. Carys' stomach gurgled.

"Hey Kay, when will we be fed? I'm starving. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon," Carys asked. Kay sighed wearily.

"You're not going to be fed. They're going to withhold food and water from you two until you tell them what they want to know. I've seen it happen before, many times. Eventually, the victim gets so desperate for even the tiniest drop of water they'll say almost anything. I've seen many tough Pokemon be reduced to shells because of it. But I can help you stay hydrated," Kay got up, and presently a blue aura surrounded her.

Up above, clouds inexplicably formed in the high ceiling, and a heavy rain began falling down.

"You know Rain Dance?" Ezra asked before she opened her mouth to catch as much water as she could.

"Yes, I do. It magnifies the power of my Thunder," Kay nodded. After the duo had drank their fill, the rain stopped. The water flowed down into a drain set in the middle of the floor. Ezra expanded her flame so that the heat would dry all three.

"I can't do anything about food, though. You'll have to hold out for a few days," Kay said unhappily once everyone was dry.

"Nonsense!" Carys boomed, then used Trick-or-Treat. A large shower of candy fell from the ceiling. Kay blinked in surprise.

"I stand corrected. It's not the best, but it's something, I guess. Just...try to look hungry and thirsty, I suppose. And try to look more and more withdrawn as the days go by," Kay shrugged.

"Can do. Say, how many Pokemon are a part of this sect?" inquired Ezra as she chewed on some licorice.

"You met them all this morning. There are 30, including me. The Battle for the Dark Compound resulted in most of the Dark being arrested. The rest are either here or in hiding," Kay answered, stuffing candy wrappers down the drain, where they would remain hidden.

"Seriously?! That's...not a whole lot," frowned Ezra, who had been expecting numbers in the hundreds.

"The Battle was a glorious day for the Light," Kay replied. Then she grew grave. "I have to hurt you again now."

After a while, the thoroughly-electrocuted Team Banshee were escorted back to their cell. Kay was correct in that no one brought any food or water to them for the rest of the day. A few Dark members visited them from time to time. Mostly it was either to gawk at the two famous captives or insult them. Ezra and Carys let the Dark think they were hungry and thirsty by repeatedly asking for food and water. Each time, the Dark Pokemon they were asking merely laughed in response.

* * *

Three days passed, with the duo getting progressively weaker. Kay had to increase the number of times she attacked them in order to keep up the charade. Although Kay held back each time, Ezra was even starting to grow afraid whenever they were locked in with the Minun, fearful of her powerful Thunders. Every so often her right hand would twitch for no reason. The effects of frequent electricity were starting to take a toll on her. Often, Kay would end the session by dousing them with Rain Dance. She explained quietly that she had often tortured captives by first showering them in water, then electrocuting them with her Thunder. But by using the combo in reverse, the duo were spared extra pain, and it would further make the Dark think that Kay was giving it her all. Cresselia and Xerneas visited them every night, but Team Banshee still could not give any clues as to their location, nor would Kay tell the legendaries that information. Whenever Team Banshee was not asleep or with Kay, they played the part of the weakening captives well. They'd stare blankly at the floor, hardly responding to any stimuli. They did not fight their captors whenever they were taken out of their cell. Their jailors were pleased at this supposed development, thinking that they were close to breaking.

On the fourth day of their captivity, Kay's eyes were shining with excitement.

"I did it! I'm going to get you guys out of here, tonight!" she said happily after the duo had been locked in with her.

"How?" asked Ezra, raising her head dully. She had been starting to think they'd be here forever.

"Okay, so, I'm going to tell Kyurem that you two still haven't broken. I'm going to request that Team Deviant deal with you. They've been wanting a go at you both ever since you got here. At night, I will escort you both here before I leave for my guard shift. You'll be left alone for a few minutes. Carys, I would use Trick-or-Treat to make it look like you two ate while you were unattended. It'll make it look like you two were just waiting for the right moment to strike, which you are. When Team Deviant arrive, strike them with all your might. Once you've defeated them, lock them in this room. After that, turn right, and go down to the end of the hall and take a left. There you'll find Cleffa. She'll be easy for you to KO. The first door on the left houses seeds and orbs. Take some Sleep Seeds in case you run into anyone. After that, go to the end of that hall and take the stairs, and go all the way up. Sliggoo will be guarding the top. Dispatch him quickly before he sounds the alarm. Finally, take the corridor on the right. That leads straight outside. I'll be nearby. I'll have to blindfold you both so you don't tell Cresselia and Xerneas where we are. I had to plan who does night duty carefully, but it should work. Any questions?" she said eagerly.

"Uh...so we'll only have to fight Sliggoo and Cleffa? That seems...easy," frowned Carys.

"Most of us will be sleeping. Tonight it's just me, Sliggoo, Sonya, Caine, Cleffa, and Conkeldurr on guard. Me being on outside night guard isn't unusual; I rather like it. Sonya, thanks to her Insomnia, never sleeps, and she likes to wander around and make sure everything's okay. But I specifically put her on dorm guard, so hopefully she'll stay put. Hopefully... Anyway, Caine is a pushover, but I'm setting him in the kitchen as a precaution. Weakling Cleffa is guarding the storage rooms and larder. She has a history of falling asleep on the job. Conkeldurr will be guarding the dungeon, and Sliggoo is guarding the Stairs. You should be able to defeat him before he sounds the alarm, but overwhelm him as fast as you can in any case. They took your items, but I managed to snag your Fickle Ribbon and Nether Globe. You guys ready?" Kay explained.

"Yes," Ezra and Carys chorused solemnly. They _had_ to succeed, otherwise they'd never escape, and Kay might be found out. If that happened, they could kiss their lives goodbye.

Kay nodded.

"Good. When you two get home, do me a favor and destroy that map immediately," she said grimly.

"Of course," Ezra nodded as well.

"Excellent. Now, ready for the fun part?" Kay asked, sighing as she got into the stance she used whenever she was about to use Thunder.

* * *

When the time finally came, Ezra and Carys whimpered in unison as Kay came to fetch them. She grinned wickedly.

"Don't worry, you two. I'm not going to be your entertainer tonight. Team Deviant are," she laughed. It was necessary to keep up the charade, even though no one else was in the room.

As Kay escorted them to the interrogation room, they passed Conkeldurr as he was getting settled in his guard duty.

"Giving up?" he asked curtly as they passed.

"Nah. Karrablast has been pestering me for four days asking to torture them. He's driving me insane with all his pleading, so I'm letting him have a go. Hopefully that'll get him off my back," Kay explained, shaking her head and snorting with annoyance.

Conkeldurr only grunted.

When Kay pushed them in, she flashed a brief and subtle wink at the duo before shutting the door. A moment later, Carys used Trick-or-Treat. The team ate some of the candy for a quick energy boost, letting the wrappers fall to the floor.

"You use Inferno; I'll use Shadow Ball," Carys told Ezra, taking up a position in front of the door.

Ezra nodded, and began channeling the energy to her flame. Her desperation for this plan to work allowed the power to flow upward, and the blue ball formed in front of her flame. She held it there, waiting until Team Deviant walked in.

A few minutes later, the door opened. Immediately, the team unleashed the combo.

"Alr—UGH!" Karrablast wailed as he, Metang, and Honchkrow were slammed with the force of both Inferno and Shadow Ball. They were sent flying until they collided with the wall opposite the hall. Ezra kept the fire beam steady until she was sure they were unconscious.

She paused to catch her breath as the attack faded, and she looked up to see the trio unconscious and unmoving.

"C'mon!" Carys hissed quietly as she began dragging the trio's bodies into the interrogation room. Panting, Ezra went to help Carys pull Metang's limp body into the room. Once the trio were all inside, Ezra locked the door, and they set out for the exit.

All was quiet in the Dark base. Aside from the duo's hurried steps and panting breaths, not a sound could be heard. When they reached the hallway Kay said Cleffa would be guarding, Ezra cautiously peeked around the corner.

She saw Cleffa sitting against the wall, dozing and snoring slightly. Ezra turned to Carys, and nodded, holding a hand up to her mouth to signal to be quiet. The team tiptoed over to the sleeping Pokemon, and before Cleffa even knew it, they knocked her out with Flame Burst and Razor Leaf. Ezra grabbed a few Sleep Seeds as well as a few random items. Carys did the same.

Upon impulse, Ezra dropped a Sleep Seed into Cleffa's mouth, and locked the small Pokemon into the storage room they took the seeds and orbs from.

"We should probably ransack the rest of the rooms. Otherwise it would look like we knew where to go, and that would blow Kay's cover," Carys whispered to Ezra, who nodded.

"Good plan," she replied. Together, the two ghost-types went through all of the rooms, taking out random items and leaving them strewn across the hall.

At the next corridor, Ezra threw a few apples down the opposite hall they were supposed to go down, to make it seem like they went down various halls and backtracked.

When they reached the stairwell, Ezra dropped a Reviver Seed and Foe-Seal Orb down the stairs, then the duo raced upwards. Every few floors, Ezra made sure to drop an item. That way, it would seem like they stopped at every floor before finding the right one.

As they came closer and closer to the top, Ezra's heart began pumping faster and faster. At the top would be Sliggoo, who would sound the alarm if they didn't KO him fast. The team slowed and began carefully tiptoeing up the stairs, hoping he wouldn't hear them.

When they reached the top, Sliggoo was standing with his back towards them. There was a red lever on the wall to their left. That had to be the alarm. Ezra and Carys looked at each other, nodded, and quickly ambushed Sliggoo with Hex and Shadow Ball.

"Hey!" he protested as he fell forward. He whipped around, and his eyes went as wide as saucers as he took in the sight of Team Banshee.

"Prisoners escaping!" he yelled as he dove for the lever. Carys tackled him to the ground mid-dive, where she held him down while Ezra quickly dispatched him with Flame Burst and Hex.

Panting heavily, Carys got off of him while Ezra dropped a Sleep Seed in his mouth. Carys went down the left corridor briefly to plant some more items, then when she returned, they stared at the right corridor.

"That leads outside…" Ezra whispered. Over the course of the past few days, she had forgotten what fresh air smelled like.

"Yeah… Come on, let's hurry before they discover we're gone," Carys nodded, taking Ezra's hand and leading her down the hall.

There was a light at the end of the dark tunnel. And when they reached it…

Freedom. That was what the air smelled like. It was clean and sweet, reminding Ezra of home. They pushed past some large bushes to find themselves in a small mountain range. Snow was gently falling in the cold December air, and in front of them was a path that led past the secret cave and down into the heart of the mountains. They were in a small clearing, with giant pine trees and thick bushes growing closely together. It looked almost peaceful. Despite the black sky, Ezra could see a faint glowing outline of Celestial Spire in the horizon. She tucked that bit of information away for later, when they spoke to Cresselia and Xerneas.

"Psst! Hey!" the bushes a few yards away shook, and Kay stepped out, holding the Nether Globe and Fickle Ribbon.

"Kay!" Team Banshee exclaimed quietly, for fear the residents in the secret cave might hear them.

"Glad to see you made it out. I never doubted you could do it," Kay said warmly, shaking both their hands.

"We put a few items in some of the other corridors, to make it look like we were acting alone," Carys explained as she tied on her Fickle Ribbon. Ezra activated the Nether Globe just in case. The purple globe lit up, and happily began orbiting the trio.

"Oh, I didn't even think of that! Excellent job!" Kay whistled. She then produced two blindfolds.

"Do we really?" sighed Ezra. Kay glared at her. "Kidding, kidding. Let's go. I want to go home," Ezra said hastily, then added wistfully.

Ezra kept quiet as Kay tied the cloth over her eye. A part of her panicked at this loss of sense and wanted her to rip it off so she could see where she was going. But if she obeyed that tiny part of her mind, Kay would probably hand them back over to Kyurem.

"Alright. Follow me. The terrain isn't too bad up here, since we're following the path. Soon you'll be able to run without fear of tripping over something," Kay said after a moment.

Ezra felt a hand take her own, and gingerly the blind Litwick followed Kay through the mountains.

"Won't they know you helped us, since you're the outside guard?" Carys asked as they began moving downward. Ezra was careful and cautious in her steps, not wanting to trip. But another part of her chafed at this slow development, and wanted to be far away from the base before the Dark caught wind of their escape.

"I doubt it. Like I said, I volunteer for this position so often, no one bats an eye. And the outside guard patrols a large area. I can just say I was heading back when you ambushed me. Kyurem trusts me so much, he'd eat it all up without question," Kay explained.

"Alright. We can run now. Just follow the sound of my voice," Kay said after quite some time when the terrain had leveled out. Ezra hesitated, then broke into a run. Kay called out every few seconds so the duo had an idea where she was.

By the time Kay called for a halt, Ezra was utterly exhausted, and she had absolutely no idea where they were or what time it was.

"You can...take off your...blindfolds…" Kay panted from nearby.

Eagerly, Ezra took hers off and looked around. They were now by a dense forest, and Celestial Spire was nowhere to be seen. Ezra looked around for a river to quench her thirst, but sadly there wasn't one around. Kay pointed in the direction of the moon, which was starting to descend towards the horizon.

"If you follow the moon, it'll lead you back to Lily Town. Don't forget to destroy that map!" Kay said.

"Thank you, Kay, for all that you've done for us. If it weren't for you, we'd be dead by now," Ezra said soberly, hugging the Minun.

"Can we...tell Meloetta that you're alive? She's been worried sick for months," Carys asked suddenly. Kay hesitated, then nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah. Tell her...tell her I miss her, and that I'll visit her once I'm done with my mission. Tell her everything. But before you go, attack me. Let it look like you fought me, and I lost. I'll eat a Sleep Seed near the base," Kay asked.

"If we must," Ezra nodded, biting her lip. Kay braced herself. Ezra tried to make her Night Shade as gentle as it could be. From Carys' face, the Gourgeist was trying to land a soft Razor Leaf as well.

Kay cried out as she was hit, but stoically took the attacks.

"Thanks. I have to get going if I'm going to be able to sell the ruse in time. Good luck, Team Banshee. It was an honor meeting you," Kay hesitated before adding softly, "Mawile would've liked you two."

Then before Team Banshee could say anything, Kay was sprinting away. They stared after her for a few seconds, then turned around and followed the moon back home.

* * *

**Home**

By the time they arrives at the gates of Lily Town, the sky was starting to lighten with the coming dawn. Ezra and Carys could hardly keep themselves awake. It took all of Ezra's remaining will not to fall asleep with each step. When they arrived at the Lofts, they found the door was locked. Ezra knocked on the door. A few moments later, a yawning Rose opened the door.

"Ezra! Carys!" she exclaimed upon seeing them.

"Hi," was all Ezra managed to say before she fell asleep.

* * *

**Even though Kay helped Ezra and Carys escape, she also put them through needless torture while she thought of an escape plan. Her desire for revenge, while noble, is also alienating her allies. Who can say what comes of her desire to kill Kyurem while she further drives Cresselia and Xerneas away? (Well, _I _can, but that's beside the point...)**

**The PS Chapter 2 finale shall include: friends and family, and destroying the map. **


	86. Chapter 86

Ezra and Carys found themselves with Cresselia and Xerneas again.

"Kay tells me you've escaped?" Cresselia asked, forgoing all preamble. Ezra yawned, exhausted, then nodded sleepily.

"Did you see where you were? Can you identify anything?" Xerneas inquired quickly, stepping forward.

"Kay kept us blindfolded most of the time...when we got out of the base, we were in a small mountain range. I could see Celestial Spire in the distance, but it looked very far away. When we left Kay, she told us to follow the moon home" Carys replied faintly. Both the duo had reached the end of their limit, having been held captive for four days.

The blank background suddenly turned into a map of the continent. Cresselia floated over to Celestial Spire, studying it intensely.

"A small mountain range within distance of Celestial Spire that's northeast of Lily Town...There's only one range that fits that description," Cresselia mused, hovering over a cluster of gray triangles a few miles east from the Spire.

"Knowing Kay, though, she probably led them in circles first before letting them go," Xerneas added doubtfully, tapping his forefoot against a cluster of triangles that were a little ways north of the Spire. Cresselia groaned.

"...You're right. Argh. Can you two tell me anything else?" she sighed. Ezra yawned again.

"The base is hidden behind some bushes in a small clearing in one of the mountains. Other than that, not really," she replied sleepily, wishing this audience would be over. Thankfully, Xerneas saw their faces.

"Well, we've narrowed down a few places. Me and the Lunar Wind can go and search them tomorrow, Cresselia. These two are exhausted by their captivity. Let's let them rest," he suggested.

"Yes, yes. I'm sorry for keeping you two here with us. I shall let you sleep now," Cresselia nodded in agreement, and all went black.

* * *

Ezra stirred, then groggily opened her eye, squinting in the sudden bright light of morning. The last thing she remembered was passing out at the Lofts' doorstep. She felt so weak, so tired from the past few days. She could sleep forever. And so, the tired Litwick drifted back into slumber.

* * *

When she woke again, she felt slightly more energized, although still sluggish from malnutrition. She stretched and got up, suddenly aware that there were voices behind her, and that she was in her bed. She turned to find Carys already up, whispering to Rose and Franziska. All three noticed her rising.

"Good morning Ezra. Did you sleep well?" Rose asked gently. Ezra shut her eye against the bright light coming from their window. It was too bright, making her eye water.

"Yeah, I suppose. Why is it so bright out?" she asked, her eye still closed.

"You've been underground for quite a while. Your eye hasn't adjusted to natural light yet," Franziska replied, her voice unusually soft instead of her normal curt tone.

"I told them what happened while you were asleep," Carys answered as Ezra opened her mouth to ask how they knew that.

"Yes...I'm _so_ glad you two made it out okay. When the Hooded Brotherhood returned with the news, we couldn't believe it. The exploration teams searched and searched the area around Verde Town, but no one knew where you were. It was awful…" Rose said, and Ezra felt the Leavanny embracing her tightly.

When Ezra felt like she could stand the light, she opened her eye, blinking and squinting for five minutes until she adjusted.

"Everything looks so bright and colorful," she observed quietly, staring out at the town below as the residents all went about their day.

"What day is it?" she asked, turning back to face Rose and Franziska.

"December 23rd . Christmas is in two days," the Dewott nodded.

"Having you two home safe and sound is the best present I could ask for," Rose sighed. "You two must be starving. Come into the kitchen."

Ezra eagerly followed Rose and Franziska into the kitchen, where two tall plates filled with various foods greeted them. Ezra's mouth watered at the glorious sight, her stomach growling. Four days of nothing but candy and water certainly hadn't done much for sustaining her body.

"Eat slowly, otherwise you'll be sick. Your bodies need to adjust after being hungry for a while," Franziska advised just as Ezra was about to wolf down a sandwich.

Despite every instinct telling her to swallow the food whole, Ezra did as the Dewott bade, taking care not to upset her stomach. Even so, after a few minutes Ezra began to feel nauseous. She gratefully accepted a glass of carbonated water from Franziska to help settle her belly.

After the wonderful meal, Team Banshee walked into the commons room, where Pelipper, Ivysaur, Teams Siren, Triple S, Valkyrie, the Bravo Specials, the HB, Hoopa, and Kiro were waiting. Surprisingly, Victini was there too, standing next to Hoopa.

All at once, the residents clamored around Team Banshee, hugging the duo and demanding to know what happened. After the Pokemon had settled down, per Victini's ever-so-polite request ("_SHUT UP AND LET THEM TALK!"_), Ezra and Carys retold their tale of how they were captured, what they had experienced, and how they escaped. The HB were sorely saddened by Detective Mawile's death, and Meloetta had tears in her eyes when Team Banshee passed along Kay's message.

"It's happening..." Meloetta whispered, wiping her eyes.

"What is?" asked Sam. Meloetta shook her head.

"N-nothing. I'm...very glad that Kay's alive. I'd no idea...when I left...that it would affect her so much…"

"We should have recognized Sonya earlier. Us and Cresselia tried to get Genesect to tell us where you were, but he shut up like a Shellder," Cave sighed.

"Even if you had, there was no way of knowing about Team Deviant lurking around. Anyways, I'm just glad we made it out. ...Say, where's Team Geo?" asked Ezra, looking around. Seadra and Noibat hadn't left town ever since the death of their leader, Magcargo.

"They caught wind of a dungeon they hadn't explored yet. Crystalline Snowfield, I think it was called. They said they felt ready to continue their work without Magcargo, so they went off yesterday to map it," explained Rose.

"I'm glad you two are here safe and sound. What will you do next?" asked Roman.

"Destroy the map Monferno gave us. It's what got us into that mess in the first place," Carys said firmly.

"And then we can all enjoy our holiday, while Cresselia and Xerneas take care of the hidden base," beamed Rose broadly. Ezra couldn't quite think of enjoying Christmas, not after what had occurred these past few days.

"How will you destroy the map? Ooh, can you set it alight with your flame?" Hoopa asked eagerly. Ezra considered it, but ultimately shook her head.

"No, that would leave ashes. I want it to be completely and utterly obliterated...I know just the place."

"Where?" asked Trina. Ezra smiled faintly.

"Rumbling Volcano."

* * *

The duo got the map out of their room, and set about preparing for the trip. The town all clamored to hear their story once they stepped foot outside, and once again Team Banshee had to pause to narrate the tale. After everyone's incessant questions had been answered, the team were finally left in peace. They brought out: the map, 99 Iron Thorns, three apples, three Oran Berries, four Reviver Seeds, two X-Eye Seeds, a Stun Seed, a Sleep Seed, and an Escape Orb. Ezra also traded the Nether Globe for her trusty Trap Scarf.

With everything settled, they began the trek to Rumbling Volcano.

* * *

**Rumbling Volcano ( watch?v=G4aCKwVuwq4)**

**1F**

Here in this fiery dungeon, the floor was made of smooth tannish rock, and the walls made of bumpy gray stone. A few patches of grass grew on the floor, and one or two small flowers grew on these patches. The ceiling above held gray stalactites, and in this chamber a lone stalagmite grew near the center. Both the walls and the floor were warm to the touch, and already Carys was beginning to sweat from the heat. Ezra, being a fire-type, had increased resistance to heat. The air felt quite nice to her, actually. But enjoying the warmth in winter was the last thing on her mind.

It had been a while since Ezra and Carys had last been in here. The area was prone to earthquakes, and the volcano was equally prone to eruptions. They'd have to be swift, in case the mountain was close to blowing its top.

Set on their task, the pair began their trek up the mountain.

**2F**

The Stairs had spawned with them. Wordlessly, the team ascended.

**3F**

A Magby and Torkoal were in their starting room with them. The Magby tried to stop them with Fire Spin aimed at Carys, but the spiral stream of fire hardly even made Carys blink despite the move being super effective. She quickly punished the Live Coal Pokemon with Shadow Ball.

Meanwhile, Ezra threw a Night Shade at the Torkoal. It somehow managed to jump out of the way and spat out a Smokescreen in response. Thick black smoke poured out of its mouth and across the battlefield, preventing all three Pokemon from seeing. Ezra and Carys began coughing from inhaling the smoke. Then, dimly, Ezra heard the faint sound of a fire whooshing to life. It came from a northwestern direction, so she threw her Hex in that general area. The Torkoal's wail came a second later, much to her satisfaction. A moment later, the Smokescreen cleared, and the enemy was nowhere to be seen.

The duo turned and exited the chamber.

**4F**

The team were walking through a hall when Carys suddenly piped up, "So...you know how we saw things in Dialga's Roar of Time four months ago? I've been thinking about my final vision, the one that hasn't come true yet."

"Remind me of the details again?" asked Ezra, struggling to recollect the details of that vision.

"I was in a large, dark chamber. I could see you, the Lofts employees, Team Siren, the Bravo Specials, the HB, Team Triple S, Kay, Kyurem, Celebi, Virizion, Entei, Team Deviant, Hoopa, Victini, Cresselia, Xerneas, and Keldeo, but I could hear others behind me. We were fighting the Dark rebels. I'm...kinda worried that what I saw was the inside of Decrepit Ruins," Carys recalled.

"But, Kay was fighting on our side…" she added doubtfully. Ezra thought about what Carys just described.

"Could it actually be the Dark base? We hadn't seen all of it; just a few rooms. And the Dark just wants us, right? They wouldn't need everyone from town. Cresselia and Xerneas would never let themselves be captured, and if you say Kay's fighting with us, then that means she wants her charade to end. ...I dunno, I kinda think maybe your vision has to do with Cresselia and Xerneas finding the Dark's base. It sounds like they find the hidden base, and we all go out to arrest them," Ezra responded. Carys was silent for a minute.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. The room _did_ look similar to the rooms in the prison," Carys said eventually.

With that fear banished, they fell silent once more.

**5F**

They found a Cyndaquil in an oddly-shaped room. The room was best described as a distorted, sideways heart. A path led from each of the two round curves of the "heart. Team Banshee had entered from the top path.

Ezra's blinked, wondering why the room was now a heart instead of the usual square or rectangle. She didn't have long to ponder this, for the Cyndaquil took her by surprise with a Flame Wheel. While the blow certainly made her stumble, she was only strengthened, not harmed. Before the Cyndaquil had even ended the attack, she swiftly knocked it out with Flame Burst.

Taking one last look at the distorted room, Ezra and Carys headed down the bottom path.

**6F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

In this sunny hallway, there was a Torchic in the way. Ezra threw her Flame Burst at the small Pokemon, but it jumped high into the air to dodge—only to be smacked into unconsciousness by Carys' Seed Bomb.

They walked along for a few more yards when a Flareon met them as it turned a corner and into their hall. Its fangs burst into flames, and it leaped for Ezra's face. Ezra stood still, letting it sink its Fire Fang into her body. She felt no pain, only felt strength rush through her, powering up her fire-type attacks.

She gravely roasted the Flame Pokemon with her Flame Burst for its fatal mistake.

**7F**

The Stairs were with them again.

**8F**

The terrain had now changed. The floors were now a rugged brownish-gold color, and the walls were a smooth dark brown. There were fewer patches of grass now; most of the vegetation was now little tufts of grass scattered sparsely around the area. Brown pebbles littered the floor. About ten meters in front of Team Banshee, a lone brown stalactite fell, shattering into pieces upon collision with the floor. That explained the pebbles on the ground.

This close to the volcano's top, little spigots of lava were flowing freely down from holes in the walls, creating pools of bubbling, sizzling lava. Carys grimaced at being this close to such a deadly liquid, but Ezra was unafraid. Dungeon lava, unlike normal lava, was safe for fire-types to wade in.

There wasn't much else to this place, so without a word Ezra and Carys moved forward.

**9F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

As they were walking down a long hall, a Torkoal appeared in front of them from a perpendicular corridor. It didn't spot them, as it was headed in the same direction they were going, so Ezra easily issued a sneak attack with a powered-up Flame Burst.

It fainted with a look of surprise on its face.

**10F**

While walking through a small chamber, Ezra noticed a Red Gummi. She walked over and popped it in her mouth. She smiled faintly, enjoying the spicy cinnamon taste.

**11F**

"The Stairs are here," Carys observed after they arrived on this floor.

**12F**

**Weather Condition: Sunny**

They spawned with a Magmar. It barely had time to register the two enemies before it was mercilessly KO'd with Hex and Shadow Ball.

**13F**

In the third chamber they came to, they found a Torchic and sleeping Cyndaquil. The latter was easily defeated by Carys' Razor Leaf while Ezra threw a Hex at the Chick Pokemon. It dashed out of the way and retaliated with a paltry Quick Attack. Faster than Ezra's eye could follow, it ran right at her, and she was unable to dodge in time. It didn't matter, though. That attack hardly even left a scratch on her.

The Torchic once again evaded her Hex, but it ultimately fell to Carys' Seed Bomb from behind. Ezra smiled wanly at the success of the Double Team Special.

**14F**

On this final floor of Rumbling Volcano, they were busy battling a Flareon and Magby in a corridor. Ezra was fighting the Magby while Carys was battling the Flareon. The Magby dashed forward to the left, then abruptly changed directions and struck Ezra with its Feint Attack. Ezra took a step back upon impact, then before the Magby could jump away she thoroughly pummeled it with her Hex.

She turned just in time to watch Carys dodge the Flareon's bite and KO it with Shadow Ball.

They found the Stairs in the next room they came to.

**Rumbling Volcano Peak**

They had arrived on a small brown ledge on the side of the volcano, near the top. Up ahead was a narrow and precarious path that led directly to the lip of the rumbling volcano. Silently, barely noticing the outrageous heat, Ezra and Carys walked up the path and to the mouth of the volcano. The path had been carved out of the side of the mountain, so they hugged the wall, taking care not to go too close to the edge, where they'd surely fall to their doom.

The rock below was warm to the touch, no doubt heated by the magma underneath it. If it hadn't been the middle of winter, there would've been a few bold flowers growing here and there on the path.

When they reached the top, they noticed that a crude wooden barrier had been erected around the mouth of the volcano, preventing anyone from accidentally falling in. This hadn't been there the last time Team Banshee had been here. It didn't matter anyway, because the next time the volcano erupted, the barrier would be obliterated. Whoever had put it up had wasted his or her time.

Down below, scarlet lava bubbled lazily. The liquid was about a quarter of a mile away from them. They were safe from the volcano today, at least.

Carys dropped their bag with a thud, and without a word Ezra took out the map that had gotten them kidnapped.

Unceremoniously, she leaned over the barrier and dropped the map into the volcano. The map fluttered down gently, until at last it reached the lava. With a quick hiss, it was gone, just like that.

"It is done," Carys said tonelessly. Ezra nodded.

"Yes…Let us go back home," she agreed formally.

The two then began to walk home, their hearts feeling lighter now that the evil map had been obliterated.

Up above, snow began to fall.

* * *

**And so, Monferno's map is gone, and the location of Decrepit Ruins safe with Teams Banshee and Siren. Christmas is coming, and after it the new year. What kinds of things await our heroes?**

**PS Chapter 3 will be extremely short, only 2 or 3 posts long. After it is PS Chapter 4, which will be the final chapter in this entire story. I hope you're ready.**

**The Post-Story Chapter 3 premiere will involve: a mission, Christmas Eve excitement, and a birthday spent in the hospital. **

**Note: My goal is to end this series by January. But I have two fun long-term projects for next year, so you can look forward to those!**


	87. Post-Story Chapter 3 Capture

**Post-Story Chapter 3. Capture**

* * *

_The first thing the girl notices is that she's warm. Blinking her eyes open, she slowly takes a look at her surroundings. What she sees frightens her, as she doesn't recognize where she is. She's startled awake, panic briefly setting in. She forces herself to calm down, to take note of what's around her._

_She's in a small room, on a cozy bed with arm rests on the sides. She's never slept on an actual bed before, let alone a fancy one with arm rests. The walls are painted a light green, and there are wires attached all over her chest. Why are there wires coming out of her?! One of the wires in the crook of her left elbow is attached to some sort of bag filled with liquid on a stick. There is also a strange device gently clamped onto her right index finger. It and the chest wires are hooked up to some sort of machine that was beeping annoyingly every second. There is a small TV on the wall in front of her, and a small nightstand next to her bed with a tray of food and water on it. Looking out the window, she can see the city below. Underneath the window is a long red bench and a chair. _

_There is also a thick blanket on top of her. It is hot, hotter than any normal blanket should be. Her head feels odd, too. When she touches it, she realizes with a jolt that her waist-length hair (which had never been cut a day in her life) has been cut off. Her hair is now quite short, cut close to her scalp. She feels oddly vulnerable, having such short hair now. Why is she here, in this strange, unfamiliar place…? The last thing she remembers was falling asleep in an alley. She had been so, so cold she had been unable to feel her fingers or toes. She had laid down for one quick nap…_

_She is just about to rip out the wires on her when she hears the sound of a door opening to her right, just out of her field of vision. A young woman walks in._

"_Hello," the woman says pleasantly. The girl remains silent._

"_My name is Julie. I'll be your nurse," the woman continues brightly. "Nurse"? ...Ah. She must be in the hospital. But why…?_

"_Why am I here?" the girl asks bluntly, suddenly angry and ashamed. Hospitals are for rich people. She is just a street kid; she can't afford this place._

"_A young couple found you half-frozen in an alley. They called an ambulance. You're being treated for moderate hypothermia," the nurse continues smoothly, ignoring her rudeness. Hypo-what-ia? _

_The nurse sees her confused face and continues, "Your body was so cold, it began to shut down. Had they not found you, you would have died. Why weren't you wearing a coat?"_

_The girl looks away angrily, her face burning with embarrassment. She didn't own a coat. Somehow, the nurse realizes and nods. _

"_You live on the street, don't you?"_

"_Leave me alone," the words are out before the girl could stop herself. _

"_Well, in any case, the doctor wants to keep you here for another day for observation. Are you warm enough? Is there anything you need?" the nurse didn't even skip a beat._

"_What...what day is it? Why did you cut my hair? And why are there wires in me?" the girl asks suddenly, fearfully. If there were wires coming out of her, did that mean they were turning her into a robot? _

"_Today? It's December 12th. And your hair was so tangled with knots, it was better just to cut it all off instead of trying to comb it," says the nurse. Ah. December 12th. She is sixteen today, then. Not that it matters much. _

"_And as for the machines…" the girl listens carefully as the nurse explains all of the things attached to her. The annoying beeping machine is measuring her heart rate, whatever that meant. The wire attached to the bag on a stick is called an "IV", and it is putting fluids into her body, strengthening her. At the end of the explanation, the girl still isn't entirely unconvinced that they were turning her into a machine. The blanket is called an electric blanket. The girl is daunted at the thought of electricity running so close to her, but the nurse assures her that it was safe, Still, the girl dislikes the unnatural blanket, even if it was cozy. _

_The nurse then puts a metal stick in the girl's mouth (a "thermometer", the lady called it) and when it beeps, she takes it out, looks at it, then throws it away. The girl had absolutely no idea what the point of the thing was. _

"_The two who found you want to speak with you soon, but I thought I'd let you have a few minutes to eat and drink first," the nurse says, gesturing to the tray of food on the nightstand. She then leaves._

_The girl stares after the woman for a second, then quickly grabs the tray and wolfs the food down. The food is vegetable soup, with an apple on the side. The water that came with it is quite warm, much to her distaste. Yet she eats it all. She can't remember the last time she had such a rich, fulfilling meal. _

_When she is finished, she sits back on her bed and thinks about why two strangers would decide to save her. The answer comes to her, and it makes her angry. Obviously, the people wanted to save her so they could laugh at her poverty. They wanted to rub in the fact that they could afford this place while she would be given the bill. There was no way she could ever pay off that debt, and they knew it. _

_Well, she is hardly going to give them the chance to laugh at her. She is getting out of this place as soon as she is able to. Although...the nurse did say she was going to be here for a day. That meant she would be fed again. Could she endure being ridiculed in exchange for food and shelter for a day? The girl mulls it over, and resignedly decides to stay. It is the middle of winter, and for a street kid like her, that means she can't afford to refuse charity. So, she waits._

_She doesn't remember falling asleep, but she wakes sharply to the sound of her door opening. The nurse and two new people come in. The strangers are a man and a woman, and they are smiling kindly at her, no trace of malice in their eyes. The girl is confused. What is going on here…?_

"_Hello," the strange woman says softly. The girl says nothing. She doesn't trust this situation one bit. _

"_Are you okay?" the man asks as the nurse leaves. He's carrying a large box._

"_Why did you do it?" the girl demands. The couple seem taken aback by her response, but they shake their shock off quickly._

"_You were unconscious in an alley. You weren't wearing anything to protect against the cold, and you were starting to turn blue. We were worried," the woman explains, real concern in her eyes._

_The girl is confused. They did this out of kindness? But she still can't pay for her treatment. She crosses her arms and scowls._

"_I can't afford this place. That's not much of a kindness if you ask me," she glares._

"_We know," the man says, and before the girl can yell at him he continues, "That's why _we're _paying the bill."_

_The girl is speechless. Her mouth drops open in surprise. She quite honestly does not know what to think about this. _

"_I...what?" is all she can say._

"_You don't have a home, right? It wouldn't be right, leaving a young woman like yourself to die in the cold. Don't worry about money; we'll handle it for you," the woman assures her. _

_The girl is stunned. Never in all her life has someone shown her this much kindness. She feels a strange emotion, one she's never experienced before. Something like a combination of happiness and relief. She isn't sure what to make of this new emotion. It's alien to her. _

"_There's a girls' home near the docks. You could live there. It'd certainly be better than living in alleys. Or...if you'd like…" the woman seems to struggle to speak. _

"_Wecouldadoptyou," she says, all in a rush. She and the man look fearfully at her, as if she is about to attack them. _

_The girl is silent. Nothing about this makes sense to her. First total strangers decide to waste their money on her, and now they want her to live with them? She feels a headache coming on._

"_...Um, I'm sure this is a huge shock to you. You can take some time to think it over. We'll, ah, leave you be. We'll be back in the morning" the man says sheepishly, and he and the woman leave her alone, leaving the large box next to her bed. _

_The girl imagines living in a home with other girls. The thought instantly irritates her. Having to share everything, no privacy...No, she liked her solitary life. But being someone's child…? She'd have parents who love her, food, water, shelter, and all the things she's dreamed about. She'd finally have the life she always wanted. _

_But at the same time, she'd be living with at least two other people. She'd be in an unfamiliar situation with unfamiliar rules. They'd tell her she can't go out after dark. She can't pickpocket rich people. She can't explore abandoned parts of the city. In short, she'd be bored all day. She'd have to follow the law, and do normal people things. She spent her days doing what she loved: surviving in solitude. If she wasn't able to do that, she'd go insane. _

_She makes up her mind. Yes, she's leaving tonight. She looks out the window, and sees that the sun is setting. She decides to wait until it's late before she escapes. She waits patiently for the day to end. When the nurse comes in again, she acts pleasant and cooperative to make the nurse lower her guard. She eats her dinner, and looks at the box next to her. Curiosity overcomes her, and she eagerly opens it._

_Inside the box is a thick winter coat. It's black with a red zipper, matching what's left of her hair, which is black with one red streak in the front. The weird happy-relieved emotion is back again, and a smile begins to tug at her lips. This will definitely help her survive this year's winter. She starts to think about staying here, but quickly she puts this thought out of her head. _

_She'd hate being a normal sixteen-year-old. She is as happy as she can be in this overcrowded, stinking city. ...Right?_

_She's determined to leave before her doubts ruin her life. When she thinks it's dark enough, she takes off the clamp thing off her finger, and rips off the wires on her chest. They hurt a bit as they're peeled off. Now the beeping machine makes an aggravating, continuous beep. She gently takes out the IV, wincing as it slides out the crook of her elbow. She puts on the coat, marveling at how warm it is._

_She gets to her feet unsteadily. After a few tentative steps, she's sure she can walk normally. She feels a bit weak, but that was probably from the hypo-something-or-other. She knows an abandoned apartment near the docks that had an ancient but still-functioning heater. _

_She exits her room, raising her eyes at how big the hospital was. It was nothing but hallways and rooms. She walks to the right, hoping to see stairs. A metal door next to her dings, and it opens to reveal many people inside a tiny room. The people get out of the room, and the metal doors close again. There is no point in that small room, as far as the girl can see. She's baffled at the people's idiocy, and moves on. _

_Next to the pointless room is a picture on the wall of a person walking down stairs. She opens the door next to the picture, and smiles at the sight of stairs. She walks down multiple flights, and is exhausted by the time she reaches the first floor. _

_She quickly composes herself, straightens her back, and plasters a confident smile on her face. She walks out into a large area. Up ahead are doors leading outside. It's all she can do not to quicken her pace. She confidently walks across the room, alert for any sign of trouble. No one tries to detain her. That's because she acts like she belongs. That was the key to sneaking around. If you looked suspicious, then of course you'd get caught. _

_The girl walks out the door, and into the cold chilly night. _

_Grateful. That was the strange emotion. As the night's chill washes over her, she realizes she's grateful for the coat. She hurries across the the street, heading towards the apartment by the docks. _

_Once she's a few blocks away from the hospital, she bolts._

* * *

Ezra woke up a little after 8:30 in the morning. She yawned and stretched, ready to tackle the day. To her right, Carys woke up as well. The two looked at each other and grinned.

Today was Christmas Eve.

They entered the commons room, where a large pine tree sat against the wall opposite the fireplace. The residents had begun their Christmas decorations the night before, and the tree was covered in ornaments. At the foot of the tree were piles upon piles of presents, wrapped in glittery paper and colorful ribbons. Outside, a light snow was falling. It was the perfect picture of the perfect Christmas.

Team Banshee entered the kitchen, where they found most of the other residents already eating.

"Morning Team Banshee! Ready for tomorrow?" Marcus beamed, looking up from his snowflake-shaped pancakes. How Franziska managed to do that, Ezra didn't know.

"Yeah! This'll be my first Christmas in this world," Ezra grinned.

"How do humans celebrate Christmas?" Kiro inquired curiously.

"Exactly like how it is here, really. I lived in a poor orphanage, so I didn't get to experience most of it. But from what I did see, it's a lot like this," Ezra explained, gesturing to the commons room.

"Oh, you poor thing! Well, we'll just have to make your first _real_ Christmas extra-special!" Chrysi beamed.

The other residents arrived, and presently everyone was eating.

"What else do we need to do to prepare for tomorrow?" asked Carys in between bites of chocolate-chip pancakes shaped like presents.

"Nothing at all. You all have done a great job yesterday," Rose said kindly.

"I could use help in the kitchen. It'd be easier for me to complete tomorrow's feast if I had another set of arms or three," Franziska said curtly, laying out a fresh pitcher of orange juice on the table.

"We'll volunteer," Ranna nodded, speaking for all of Team Siren. Franziska merely nodded and returned to the kitchen.

"I'm going home today. I'd like to spend the holiday with my parents. I'll be back the first week of January," Kiro announced.

"Where do they live?" inquired Mercury.

"Just outside of Firewood City."

"Oh, that's rather far. I'm sure Hoopa can warp your presents there, so you wouldn't be carrying them all the way home," said Pelipper.

"That's true. I'll ask him," Kiro said thoughtfully. Carys turned to Ezra.

"What should we do today?" the Gourgeist asked. Ezra frowned. That was a good question. What _should_ they do, if everything was set for tomorrow?

"Well, we're going to do some rescue missions, so Pokemon won't be stuck in dungeons for Christmas. You could help us with that," offered Milana.

"Great idea! Let's do that, Ez," Carys beamed. Ezra grinned. Helping others get home for the holidays was the _perfect_ plan for today.

After breakfast and saying goodbye to Kiro, Teams Banshee and Valkyrie headed down to the bulletin boards to look for Pokemon in need of help.

There weren't that many today, surprisingly. Team Valkyrie picked out a couple jobs that took place in Ruined Ruins, Deserted Desert, and Mystical Bluff. That left only two posts, which coincidentally happened to take place in the same dungeon, Dubious Woods.

The first request was a rescue mission. Their client, a Delcatty, wanted to be escorted to B7F, where her friend Elekid was trapped. Their client for the second mission, a Helioptile, was in need of rescue on B15F.

The town was decorated in Christmas lights and wreaths. Winter-themed paraphernalia covered the buildings of Lily Town. Ezra and Carys visited the Kecleon Market, where they sold their unwanted items and bought Reviver Seeds, Oran Berries, apples, and other things. They then put these excess items in storage. Lastly, they deposited their remaining money into the bank. After that, they set out for the dusky dungeon.

* * *

**Dubious Woods ( watch?v=hNqgnCIgkns)**

**B1F**

Delcatty met them at the entrance to the dungeon, and when they entered they found themselves in a thick forest where very little light came in. The floor was made of a short, grayish-green grass with brown dirt patches here and there. Small black rocks were littered across the floor. The walls were made of a short gray stone wall, covered almost completely by ivy. Tiny colorful flowers grew all along this ivy. On top of the wall was more short grass, along with a few ferns and a few stunted trees.

"Hm, I can see why Elekid came here. He loves this sort of dull, dreary place," Delcatty snorted with disdain, taking in the surroundings.

"We'll find him soon," Ezra assured her, her flame and Carys' belly providing the majority of the light.

"I'll say! The Stairs are with us!" beamed Carys, pointing.

**B2F**

The trio spawned with a Shiftry and Beautifly. Ezra threw a Flame Burst at the Beautifly, which spread to include the Shiftry. Both Pokemon dodged the attack, but Carys struck the Beautifly with a quick Shadow Ball. The flying Pokemon flinched, and to Ezra's surprise Delcatty jumped high into the air and knocked it down to the ground with Fake Out.

As Delcatty and Carys dealt with the Beautifly, Ezra's attention was caught by the Shiftry formulating Nasty Plots.

"No you don't," she said before she roasted it with Flame Burst. The Shiftry howled and fought back with Razor Leaf, sending razor-sharp leaves from its hands.

Ezra hissed as she was slashed by the leaves. She was about to retaliate when Delcatty began Singing. She sang a soothing lullaby that lulled the two enemy Pokemon to sleep. Even Ezra found herself yawning when the song was over.

Now that their foes were asleep, it took them no time at all to knock them out. A Flame Burst here, a Double Slap there, and a Shadow Ball to top it all off ensured their victory. The Shiftry dropped a Glittery Box.

**B3F**

They were walking down a hall when a Rotom appeared suddenly from what must have been a perpendicular corridor. Ezra quickly threw a Hex at it. It shrieked and retaliated with Ominous Wind. It sent out a purple gust of air that sent Ezra sprawling backwards into Carys, causing the duo to crash into the ground.

Behind them, Delcatty sighed impatiently, then before Ezra could get up the feline Pokemon leaped over both of them and swiftly struck the Rotom with a Fake Out. It flinched, and Delcatty quickly Sang it to sleep. She then turned around to face the duo.

"There," she said in a bored tone.

Ezra sheepishly finished the Rotom off with Hex.

**B4F**

"You two sure seem to know where you're going in this place," Delcatty observed as they were leading her through a hall.

"Yeah, we've been here once before. We were looking for Palkia's signature item, the Air Blade," Ezra explained.

"Why?"

"We were searching for Arceus' Shards, and Palkia had the penultimate one. He had gone mad by the spacial distortions, and we were hoping that by giving him his item back he would break through the insanity," Carys answered.

"Did he?"

"Only for a few minutes. We had to battle him before we could hand over the Air Blade. But even when we gave it back to him the madness returned shortly," Ezra continued.

"I see," remarked Delcatty, and she fell silent.

**B5F**

As they entered a chamber, they spotted a sleeping Dustox inside. Carys woke it up with a Shadow Ball, and it began emitting a Bug Buzz in startled response.

"Why?!" Ezra shouted irritably to Carys over the noise of the din. She quickly shut the bug/poison-type up with Flame Burst. It dropped a Gorgeous Box.

"I disliked that," commented Delcatty, washing her ears with a paw.

"Me too, Delcatty. Me too," Ezra agreed, with one last glare at Carys before moving on.

**B6F**

"There's the Stairs! Come on; Elekid's on the next floor!" Delcatty shouted impatiently upon spawning. She then raced off toward the stone steps.

**B7F**

Team Banshee's badges _ping_!ed, indicating that they were on the correct floor. The trio raced around the dungeon, trying to locate Elekid.

Finally, they found him cowering in a corner, a Nuzleaf stalking closer to him.

"Elekid!" shouted Delcatty before she sprang to help her friend. She quickly Double Slapped the Nuzleaf with her tail, then before it could respond Ezra defeated it with a rapid Flame Burst.

"Delcatty! Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" wailed Elekid, embracing Delcatty.

"You know this dungeon is too tough for you. Whyever did you come here?" Delcatty demanded.

"It looked so pretty from the outside; I just _had_ to see what it looked like on the inside. Please don't be mad at me," Elekid sobbed, looking up at Delcatty with pitiful eyes. Delcatty's face softened, and she sighed.

"I'm not mad. You just made me worry very much, is all. Now let's go home."

The two turned to Ezra and Carys.

"Thank you for escorting me to Elekid. I'll see you back in Lily Town," Delcatty said, inclining her head.

"Yeah, thanks," Elekid nodded, standing close to Delcatty.

"It's what we do! See you soon," Ezra beamed before turning her badge onto the duo. A white beam shone down upon the two clients, and they were warped out of the dungeon.

Team Banshee continued on.

**B8F**

The duo spawned with a Vileplume and Venonat. The Venonat sent out a green Sleep Powder that made Ezra fall asleep despite her best efforts to stay awake.

While she was in dreamland, Ezra felt herself be hit with attacks. Eventually, she woke back up, just in time to get hit by the Venonat's Zen Headbutt.

Thankfully, though, her Flame Body activated, burning the Venonat. While it chittered in agony, Ezra roasted it with Flame Burst, KOing it.

She turned to see Carys knock out the Vileplume with Shadow Ball. From the candy wrappers on the floor, Carys must have used Trick-or-Treat first.

"Heya! You missed the party," Carys grinned, noticing that Ezra was awake again.

**B9F**

As Ezra was walking through a chamber, she stepped on an Explosion Trap. Only, since she was wearing her Trap Scarf, the trap didn't work.

"You wish!" she laughed at it before moving on.

Carys carefully moved around the trap as she followed Ezra into a chamber.

**B10F**

There was a Parasect and Ariados blocking their way in a hall. Carys ducked into the wall to assist Ezra. Ezra tossed a Flame Burst at the Parasect, but the Mushroom Pokemon skittered out of the way and Slashed her with its pincers. Ezra scowled, but was otherwise unhurt by the normal-type attack.

Carys surprised it with Seed Bomb, and as the red Pokemon turned to see where it was being attacked from, Ezra punished its mistake with Flame Burst. One quick Razor Leaf from Carys later, and all they had left was the Ariados.

The Ariados began skittering around in circles, raising its Agility. Carys used Trick-or-Treat, and attempted to hit it with Shadow Ball. But the Long Leg Pokemon evaded and brutally Sucker Punched Ezra right in the gut. Ezra doubled over, wheezing as the breath was knocked out of her.

The Ariados then spat cobwebs at her that entangled her in a sticky net. Ezra tried furiously to throw the net off of her, but the net stuck to whatever it touched. Finally, after a fruitless struggle, Ezra Inferno'd the net to ashes. The large blast of fire instantly disintegrated the net, and even caught the Ariados too, who was busy dodging Carys' attacks.

Once Ezra was finally free, the Ariados had been thoroughly scorched.

**B11F**

"Stehrs," announced Carys. Ezra winced.

"Please don't remind me of Sonya," she requested.

**B12F**

The duo spawned with a Rotom and Nuzleaf. The leaf on the Nuzleaf's head grew and glowed green, and it quickly struck Carys with this Leaf Blade. Meanwhile, the Rotom sent out a Shock Wave at Ezra.

The girls took a few steps backward, then reciprocated with Shadow Ball and Inferno. The Shadow Ball sent the Rotom careening into the far wall while the Nuzleaf was completely and utterly obliterated by the blue beam of fire.

As Ezra dropped to the ground in exhaustion, Carys threw Seed Bombs at the recovering Rotom. It evaded by using Double Team to summon multiple copies of itself.

While Carys struggled to find the real Rotom, Ezra got back to her feet, ready to fight again. She watched the Rotoms carefully. Carys turned around, her back towards Ezra. The Rotom directly between Ezra and Carys chose this moment to strike Carys with Shock Wave, sending the Gourgeist face-first into the ground.

Before the Rotom could hide within its copies again, Ezra surprised it with Night Shade. It fell to the ground, and its copies disappeared. The real Rotom dropped a Light Box.

**B13F**

Ezra accidentally stumbled upon the Stairs to the Secret Bazaar. Shrugging, she and Carys descended.

"Welcome to the Secret Bazaar!" beamed Kirlia from her spot in the center.

Team Banshee thanked her, and descended to the next floor.

**B14F**

They found a Vileplume in a chamber. The Flower Pokemon began emitting a yellow Stun Spore. The spores settled all around Ezra, causing her body to seize up in paralysis. She scowled at her immobility.

Carys moved next to her and turned the Vileplume into a grass/poison/ghost-type with her Trick-or-Treat. As she munched on jelly beans, Carys threw a Shadow Ball at the Vileplume. It dodged the purple ball and sprayed Poison Powder at her.

But Carys jumped out of the way and successfully nailed the foe with Shadow Ball, causing the Flower Pokemon to cry out in pain. It sent out a transparent green beam of energy, hoping to Mega Drain Carys. But again, Carys weaved out of the way and annihilated the foe with another Shadow Ball.

Ezra regained mobility a moment later.

**B15F**

Their badges _ping_!ed once more, and they set off to find Helioptile.

"Say, isn't there Shady Dust on this floor?" Carys asked.

"Huh, so there is. Do you want to get some?" recalled Ezra.

"Mmm, nah, I'm good. I can't think of anyone who would want some, and we already have a Nether Globe," Carys shook her head.

Presently, they found Helioptile wandering aimlessly through the dungeon.

"Oh thank Arceus! I accidentally stumbled into this place and I couldn't find my way out," he breathed a sigh of relief as Team Banshee beamed him out of the dungeon.

They then beamed themselves out, and headed for home.

* * *

**Lily Town**

"Thank you for escorting me to Elekid. Have this Gold Ribbon as your reward," said Delcatty, placing the gold-colored ribbon into Ezra's hands.

"No problem! Have a merry Christmas!" Ezra smiled.

"And you," Delcatty said as she left the Lofts. Helioptile stepped up.

"Thanks for rescuing me. I thought I would be spending my Christmas inside that forest. Here's 500 Poke," he said earnestly, handing Carys the money.

"Don't mention it! Merry Christmas!" she grinned as Helioptile left as well.

The duo then sold their Gold Ribbon at the market, and used some of the money to open their Light Box, Gorgeous Box, and Glittery Box using Sora's psychic powers. The Reuniclus handed them a Royal Gummi, a Shinx Fang, and a Heal Seed. Carys ate the Gummi while Ezra went to sell the other two items.

After that, Team Banshee joined a snowball fight that was going on in town square. They teamed up with Hoopa and Victini and thoroughly pummeled the other townspokemon with snowballs.

When dinner was over, Ezra and Carys assisted Franziska in washing the dishes from her feast preparations, then joined the other residents for games by the roaring fire.

A huge smile was on Ezra's face by the time she and Carys went to bed. Today had been one of the best days ever, and she couldn't wait to see what tomorrow would bring.

Her excitement caused her to take forever in falling asleep but eventually, blissful slumber came.

* * *

**I'M OFFICIALLY DONE WITH SCHOOL! WOO-HOOOOOOOOO**

**...Anyways, I think I will make the next post the PS Chapter 3 finale. I don't believe I'll need three posts to cover what I want to cover. If I did that, I fear the third post would be too short to be worthy of its own post. **

**So, in that case, the Post-Story Chapter 3 finale will contain: A **_**very**_ **memorable Christmas :D**


	88. Chapter 88

Ezra unexpectedly woke in the middle of the night to the sound of screaming. She and Carys bolted upright in their beds, looking around wildly. Then the scream was suddenly cut off. Another shout came a moment later from the Hooded Brotherhood's room. Ezra and Carys raced outside to see what was going on. What they saw made them freeze with terror.

There, in the middle of the commons room, were Kay, Sonya, and the Lapras, Torterra, Camerupt, and Swanna from the Dark secret base. Rose was at their feet, unconscious and unmoving. At least, Ezra hoped she was unconscious.

As the other residents started to come out of their rooms, Sonya saw Team Banshee standing petrified in the hall. She grinned at them and pulled out an orb. It was impossible to say what kind it was in the darkness of the night.

"Merry Chreestmas!" Sonya laughed as she threw the orb at Team Banshee's feet.

Pink smoke billowed out of the orb as it shattered on the floor. The smoke spread out and wafted upwards. As Ezra inhaled the smoke, she realized too late that it was a Slumber Orb.

As she collapsed to the ground, the last thing she saw were the intruders throwing more Slumber Orbs at the oncoming residents.

* * *

When she woke up, she found herself and Carys in a prison cell yet again. But this cell was different. It was part of an actual prison system and not just an isolated cell. She could see other figures in the cells on the other side.

Beside her, Carys stirred. The Gourgeist opened her eyes, yawned, then sat up.

"...Please tell me I'm dreaming," she said calmly once she saw where they were.

"Afraid not," Ezra sighed.

She walked over to the bars, curious to see who the other captives were. The damp and black-stone dungeon was lit by only a few stubby candles, so she increased her flame to shed more light. She then gasped in horror and fell backwards.

In the cell directly opposite Team Banshee were Team Siren. The Sirens gazed fearfully back at Team Banshee.

"Ezra? Is that you?" Chrysi's frightened voice came from the cell directly to the left of Team Banshee's.

"Y-y-yeah...Are you alright?" Ezra managed to stammer out. Why were her friends here, when the Dark only wanted Team Banshee?

"I think so...Where are we?" Chrysi whimpered.

"I don't know. This is different from where Carys and I were imprisoned. But I recognize the intruders. They're Dark," Ezra said grimly.

"I tried attacking the bars, but they're made out of tough material. I can't break out," Ivysaur's voice came from the cell to Team Banshee's right.

"They took my scalchops, otherwise I could break them," Franziska hissed from the same cell.

"What do the Dark want with us all?" Rose's voice called from somewhere beyond Chrysi's cell.

"Rose! Oh, I'm glad you're okay. I don't know what why you all are here," Carys shook her head.

"To use them as hostages," Kay's voice came from somewhere beyond Ivysaur and Franziska's cell. The Minun stepped into Team Banshee's view. She turned to Team Siren.

"Hello Meloetta…" Kay said sadly.

"Kay…" Meloetta whispered faintly.

"Kay! It's us, the Hooded Brotherhood! Can you get us out?" Sips called from the cell in front of Chrysi's. Kay shook her head.

"We're deep within the secret base. You'd never make it," Kay said sorrowfully.

"I assume they fell for your trick? And why are the others here?" Carys asked.

"Yeah, I got back and ate the Sleep Seed just in time. I managed to convince everyone that you had ambushed me and got away," Kay explained.

"What about us? Why are we here? How'd they get in the Lofts?" demanded Franziska. Kay sighed heavily.

"Sonya phased through the door and unlocked it from the inside. Kyurem wanted a silent ambush. You're going to be tortured until Ezra and Carys tell Kyurem where Decrepit Ruins is. You destroyed the map, I hope?" Kay asked fretfully, turning to Team Banshee. Ezra nodded.

"Good. Well, not really. Now you're useless to him," Kay winced, rubbing her ears stressfully.

"So how are you going to get us out? And why didn't you warn us?" asked Trina from Chrysi's cell.

"I can't," Kay said miserably. "There's no way I can get 23 Pokemon outside without compromising my position, let alone getting you all out unseen. After Team Banshee's escape, they're not going to take any more chances. And I couldn't warn you guys in time. One, that would tell Kyurem that there's a spy, and two, he only told me a few hours before we set out for Lily Town. I couldn't sneak away to alert Lady Cresselia!" Kay wailed, sitting down on the damp stone ground and sobbing.

"So what are we going to do, then?" Marcus asked cautiously from the cell across Ivysaur and Franziska's.

"_I don't know! _I can't think of any scenario that won't end in your deaths!" Kay sobbed.

"What about telling Cresselia and Xerneas?" Ranna asked.

"I thought of that. Damn me, I _actually_ thought about betraying Mawile. But even if I did, Kyurem'd just pull a Battle for the Dark Compound and start killing you guys off before they could reach you. Believe me, Sonya's _itching_ to take revenge on you, HB, for arresting Oksana," Kay shook her head wearily. Her ears twitched, and she sighed, got up, and dried her tears.

"Kyurem and the others are coming. Please, for the love of Arceus, _do not give away my position_, otherwise any microscopic hope we might have will be lost. Meloetta...there's so much to say, but now's not the time. Think you can act like you've never seen me before?" Kay turned to Team Siren's cell. Meloetta nodded wordlessly, her face completely drained of blood.

"Good…" Kay sighed as the temperature plummeted. She got into her Dark persona just as a door opened somewhere to the right, and the Dark rebels entered the dungeon. Kyurem walked through the corridor, looking intensely at each prisoner as he patrolled the hall. The other Dark members took up positions all down the hall.

"Hello, explorers of Lily Town," Kyurem said pleasantly.

"What do you want?" demanded Franziska.

"Hi, _Glace_. Remember me?" Meloetta snapped at Glace, who then hid behind Kyurem.

"That's no way to speak to Lord Kyurem. I'd watch your tongue if I were you," Kay said idly, ignoring Meloetta's scene while leaning up against the wall between Team Siren's cell and the HB's.

"Now, now, Kay. It's Christmas. I'm feeling rather jolly. You know what would _really _make my day today, though? If two certain ghost-types told me where Decrepit Ruins is," Kyurem leered down at Team Banshee.

"The map wasn't in the building; we searched it thoroughly," the Swanna reported.

"We destroyed it. You're not getting it at all anymore," Ezra crossed her arms.

"That's too bad. But I have a sneaking suspicion you two know where it is anyway. You're explorers; you wouldn't be able to resist decoding it. So, how's about you spare your friends the coming pain and tell me where it is now?" Kyurem asked, almost friend-like.

"We never decoded it," Carys said evenly.

"They're lying," Sonya said nonchalantly.

"I figured. In that case, you all may have fun with the explorers," Kyurem said in a bored tone to his followers.

"I get to pleh weeth Blue Hood!" Sonya jumped up immediately as the other Dark members began unlocking their friends' cells.

"Of course, Sonya," Kyurem nodded graciously.

"Can I get Meloetta? I'm curious to see how many Thunders it'll take before she drops," asked Kay casually. Kyurem nodded.

"What are you doing with them?!" demanded Ezra, grasping the bars. Kay looked over lazily at her.

"We're going to have some fun with your friends! You two aren't invited. Instead, you'll get to see the effects of our hospitality on everyone. Everyone but you," she snickered. Ezra felt her heart drop in true revulsion.

Their friends were going to be tortured, and they would be forced to see the effects. Kay wouldn't be able to prevent that.

"Last chance to stop the party," Kyurem said mildly.

"Don't worry about us! Don't tell them!" Franziska hissed as the residents were hauled off somewhere.

"Yeah! We'll hold out. We're strong!" Chrysi called.

Kyurem only chuckled as he and the others departed the dungeon, leaving Ezra and Carys all alone.

"This is bad. _Real bad_. Like, how the _hell_ are we going to get out of this?!" Carys demanded worriedly, pacing all around the cell.

"I don't know. I don't know. Like Kay said, I can't see any way to get us all out of here I can totally see the Dark killing us all if Cresselia and Xerneas try and rescue us. Ohhhhhhh I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Ezra shouted, clutching her head.

The duo had no choice but to sit and wait miserably in their cell. After Arceus knows how long, the Dark returned their friends to their cells. When the rebel Pokemon minus Kay left the dungeon, Ezra noticed with chilling dread that someone had left a blood trail along the corridor in front of Team Banshee's cell. Feeling lightheaded all of a sudden, Ezra turned and faced the back wall instead, trying to get the image out of her head.

"Are...are you all okay?" Carys asked tentatively once they were alone with Kay. Moans met Carys' question.

"Who were the Swanna, Camerupt, Lapras, and Torterra? They hurt my team and Cave," Chrysi asked. Her voice was taut, as if she was in great pain.

"Katrina, Vesuvius, Sumatra, and Tohoku, respectively. Also known as Team Terra. Powerful team, they are," Kay supplied, wincing.

"Katrina's Hurricane...never again," Chrysi groaned.

"Sumatra's Surf wasn't fun either. You know what it's like to be waterboarded? I do now," Cave said faintly.

"Ugh. Vesuvius' Eruption knocked me right out," Milana sighed.

"The Earthquake of Tohoku was terrible...I don't want to experience that ever again," Trina moaned weakly.

"You guys...I'm so sorry they did all that to you…" Ezra whispered, tears coming to her eyes.

"It's not your fault. Kyurem was the one who thought of using your friends to make you talk," Kay said sadly, shaking her head.

As the others relayed their experiences, Ezra felt more and more guilty about the situation. She and Carys were putting their friends in great danger, yet if they gave the Dark what they wanted, their friends still wouldn't be safe. She was caught between a rock and a hard place for sure. What a way to spend Christmas…

Later, Kyurem came in and asked Team Banshee if they would talk. Immediately and surprisingly, the other residents shouted no, that Team Banshee wasn't going to tell them. Ezra was shocked by their dedication, but at the same time this loyalty made her feel more helpless. The town's loyalty was only going to get them hurt more.

* * *

The next day was the same. Everyone but Ezra and Carys were taken out to be tortured further. When at last their friends were returned, no one was in the mood to talk. Faint whimpers and moans of pain haunted the dungeon, and not one resident wanted to speak about what was done to them. Even chatty and spunky Chrysi was silent all throughout the day. Her sister Rose, from what Team Banshee could see, had three long wounds all down her side. Blue Hood had even more, courtesy of the vengeful Sonya. Indeed, the foreign Banette openly carried a long, bloodstained dagger with her whenever she collected or returned the Lucario.

But the biggest insult to injury was the fact that not once was Team Banshee tortured. Not a bit. Kyurem practically treated them like kings, compared to the other prisoners. He even had plates upon plates of food and water brought to them, whereas the others didn't receive anything. Team Banshee never ate the food, instead giving it to the others. The two ghost-types also received hay for bedding, while the other captives had to sleep on the cold stone floor.

The special treatment more than anything was what caused them to break.

On the morning of the 27th, before the others were taken to be tortured, Ezra broke down and told Kyurem what he wanted to hear.

"Follow the sun when it's directly on top of the mountain on the Dark Isle. That's where Decrepit Ruins is," she told him sullenly.

"Ezra!" Meloetta protested, snapping her head up to stare at her in disbelief. Kyurem's eyes lit up.

"Oho, is that so? Thank you, dearest Ezra. Really, _thank you_. I knew you'd eventually come around. Because of your generous donation, we can bring Giratina back to his rightful glory!" to his followers, he shouted, "We're departing for the Dark Isle immediately! The position of the sun would be around 11 o'clock, so we don't have much time! Get the prisoners ready for transport; we've got a Nether Veil to obtain."

Ezra sat back as the doors to everyone's cells were opened.

_What have I done…?_ she thought miserably as she and Carys were hauled out.

* * *

"**Capture" comes to a dreadful end...What will the final chapter bring?**

**The Post-Story Chapter 4 premiere will consist of: the journey through Decrepit Ruins.**


	89. Post-Story Chapter 4 Rebirth

**Post-Story Chapter 4. Rebirth**

* * *

_He locked her in her room again. He does this every time he leaves for work. She's not strong enough to break down the door, which somehow is one of the few broken things in their home. She can't escape through the window either, for bars cover every window in the house. _

_She is trapped. She is alone in her room, which holds nothing but an uncomfortable mattress that is barely holding itself together by its threads, a fading picture book, a scratchy blanket, and a decaying cardboard box. The box is empty. She doesn't have many possessions. All she has is her clothes, which are several sizes too small. He doesn't like to spend money on her, or even acknowledge her needs. Hell, oftentimes he doesn't even feed her. _

_Without warning, she sits down on her mattress and bursts into tears. She hates it here! She hates her life, hates how her life has been the same for fourteen years. She then realizes she's furious with whatever force put her here. What did she ever do to deserve this hell?! Her rage, which has been building up throughout the course of her life, comes to a boil. _

_Screaming, she stomps her cardboard box to oblivion, rips her picture book to tiny little pieces, tears apart her blanket and mattress, punches the walls until her fists are bleeding. _

_After her tantrum, she is tired, and she flops down on the remains of her mattress, panting hard and rubbing her bleeding hands. Then she decides._

_She's leaving, once and for all. _

_She gets off of the remains of her mattress and flips it over, revealing her lockpicking tools. Shortly after her fourth birthday, her mother left the house one day and never came back. To compensate for the loss of income, he sent her out to beg for money on the street on days that he doesn't work. Or, failing that, she was to steal it instead. She learned how to manipulate and steal at a very early age. Normally he takes away her lockpicking tools before he leaves the house._

_But today he forgot. _

_She unlocks her door in no time flat, and races into the kitchen. There isn't much food in the house; only a piece of cheese and two slices of bread that have odd green stuff growing on them. She doesn't care. She's starving. She wolfs down the food, and unlocks the front door._

_Briefly she hesitates. At least in here, she has shelter. She can't say the same if she leaves. But she then thinks about her future here, and that gives her the resolve she needs. _

_She leaves the house. _

_Outside, the city's skyscrapers loom high above, making her feel small and insignificant, just like he always makes her feel. But she steels herself and runs toward the city plaza, where she would be able to disappear into the crowds of people. _

_She knows where to go from her run-down house. She learned a long time ago that busy places were the best spots for pickpocketing. _

_When she arrives, she's briefly taken aback by how busy the plaza is. And noisy. The noise is what startles her the most about the city. She's forgotten how crowded the city is._

"_Hot dogs! Get yer hot dogs here!"_

"_-so then I told him, 'That's not my daughter; that's my wife!'"_

"_Marissaaaaaa, wait uuuuuup!"_

"_Do you think we need to buy more milk today, Purrloin?"_

_The noise of the plaza threatens to overwhelm her, but she shakes off her trepidation. She escaped him. She knows how to manipulate people into giving her money, and how to steal. She can live on the streets. Yes, she can do this. _

_She gulps, and takes a deep breath, raising her head confidently and getting a determined look on her face._

_Then she walks into the heart of the city, never once looking back._

* * *

The captives were roughly taken outside the Dark secret base. They all flinched and blinked rapidly at the bright sunlight, having been kept underground for three days.

"Move!" Kyurem shouted, pushing the prisoners forward into the clearing in front of the secret base.

The 23 captives were then pushed and shoved down the mountain, following the trail until they were safely out of the mountain range. Snow was falling heavily above, adding to the chill of the December air and Kyurem's icy aura. Ezra gazed wistfully over at Celestial Spire in the distance, somehow hoping that Arceus would come to their rescue. Kyurem caught her glance.

"Arceus isn't coming, Ezra. You're going to die. Better get used to that fact," he chuckled.

The captives were then marched to the southern coastline. It took them the better part of the morning to get there. Along the way, Roman, Ranna, Franziska, and Carys all tried to fight back and overpower their captors, but the Dark legendaries and Kay were quick to stop them. The prisoners were weak from hunger and torture; they weren't escaping anytime soon.

The group was helpless.

Ezra kept her eye out for anyone who could potentially help them as the group was escorted to the shore, but unfortunately they did not pass a single soul.

* * *

When the large party arrived at the shore, the Dark mountain could be seen on the island. The sun was right above the mountain top, just like the map's riddle said it needed to be.

There was an Alakazam waiting by the shore's edge.

"Who are you?" asked Kay as the group approached him.

"I'm Alakazam. I Teleport people to the island and back. Are you all in need of Teleportation?" he answered kindly.

"Yes, we are. Teleport everyone who can't swim or fly," Kyurem ordered. Alakazam hesitated. Immediately, Kay used Thunder on him.

"I said, _Teleport us_," Kyurem boomed. The rest of the Dark stared down at Alakazam, as if silently daring him to object.

"O-of course. Who all needs Teleporting?" he said quickly, getting back up and staring fearfully at the group.

"Everyone besides me, the Lapras, the Swanna, the Altaria, the Honchkrow, Celebi, the Croconaw, and the Togetic," replied Kyurem.

"Very well. One moment," Alakazam's eyes and spoons glowed purple, and suddenly Ezra found herself on the other side of the channel, on the shore directly under the mountain.

The fliers and swimmers joined shortly.

"Thank you, Alakazam. Cradily and Sonya, if you would be so kind," Kyurem nodded graciously.

Without warning, Cradily threw a powerful, blue-green Energy Ball at Alakazam's back. Alakazam stumbled, and fell to his knees. One more Energy Ball had him sprawled across the ground. Quick as a flash, Sonya took out her dagger. She stood over the stunned Alakazam, grinning from ear to ear.

"Close your eyes! Quick!" Franziska hissed as Sonya raised her knife over her head. Ezra suddenly realized what was about to happen, and shut her eyes tight, turning away from the scene.

Three stabs. That was all it took to end Alakazam's life. The screams he made reverberated through Ezra's head, and she felt bile rise to her throat. She grinned, trying to keep the nausea down. She gagged horribly, struggling to keep herself from vomiting.

From the sound of it, some of the other prisoners weren't as lucky.

"Come along, now," Kyurem said, and Ezra felt herself being pushed forward.

Miserably, she opened her eye, trying not to look at Alakazam's body while at the same time trying to avoid blood and other bodily fluids on the ground.

Sonya was nonchalantly licking the blood off her fingers. Most of her torso was stained maroon. Ezra began sobbing at the horribleness of it all.

The group followed the sun over rivers and through thick forests, until they eventually came to Decrepit Ruins.

* * *

**Decrepit Ruins**

It was tucked away behind some bushes. The entrance was sealed shut, and there was no sign of a door anywhere.

"Bring Ezra forward," she distantly heard Kyurem say. She allowed herself to be pushed towards the dungeon. She was too numb to protest.

The ground began shaking once Ezra was near the dungeon. Then the rock wall facing them crumbled into itty-bitty pieces, revealing the dungeon.

"Excellent!" boomed Kyurem.

"Now then...Chandra, Sonya, you two will escort Blue Hood through the dungeon," he said. The Typhlosion and Sonya looked pleased.

"I will escort little miss Meloetta, while Kay I would like you to escort our honored guests, Team Banshee. Roserade, Altaria, and Virizion, please escort the feisty Dewott, if you would," he went on.

"I can see trying to fight my way past them is useless. But I'll need my scalchops in order to fight the dungeon Pokemon," Franziska said, crossing her arms.

"You have three guards; you don't need them. Anyway, Team Deviant, you may escort Dyrim. Entei will escort the Leavanny, Ivysaur, and Treecko. Cleffa and Celebi, you will guard Sips and the Greninja. Keldeo and Cradily, guard Cave and the Zangoose. Houndour and Sliggoo, you shall escort the Chesnaught and Lilligant. Croconaw and Mienshao will escort Sky and the Pelipper," Kyurem rattled off.

"Ashi and Conkeldurr shall escort Ranna and the Nidorina," he continued. The Ditto and Conkeldurr grinned wickedly.

"Quilava and Togetic, you will escort the Noivern and Vespiquen. And finally, Duosion and Tohoku, you will guard the Abra and Luxio. Team Rogue and the rest of Team Terra, you five will guard this entrance, in case someone tries to escape," Kyurem finished. He then gave out bags to the Dark members.

"These hold 64 items. There are 99 Iron Thorns, ten apples, seven Oran Berries, two Pecha Berries, a Rawst Berry, a Cheri Berry, a Chesto Berry, three Blast Seeds, a Heal Seed, ten Reviver Seeds, three Sleep Seeds, two Stun Seeds, five X-Eye Seeds, and six Max Elixirs in each one. That should be more than enough to get you all through the dungeon. I don't quite know how many floors there are, so be careful. Well, I will see you all on the other side!" Kyurem laughed as he forced Meloetta inside the dungeon.

"Come on, you two," Kay pushed Team Banshee inside the dungeon after it had reset itself.

**B1F**

Decrepit Ruins sure lived up to its name. The gray stone tiled floor was cracked, and there were pieces of the floor missing in quite a lot of places. The walls were made of a smoky gray, raggedy stone, with Litwick-shaped candles mounted on sconces at regular intervals. Ezra disliked the candles. They seemed like an ill omen to her.

There was no plant life at all in the dungeon. Dust covered the entire floor, sending clouds of the stuff up wherever they stood. There was a gloomy feeling to the atmosphere, although that might just be Ezra's mood instead.

It truly was a decrepit place.

"Golbat behind you!" Kay shouted.

Ezra turned, only to receive an Air Slash to the face. Sighing, she half-heartedly threw a Flame Burst at the flying foe. It easily dodged, and began emitting a black Haze from its mouth that covered the entire room.

"One sec," Ezra heard Kay say, right before rain clouds began forming ahead.

**Weather Condition: Rain**

Ezra then heard Kay launch a Thunder, and she heard a terrorized shriek a moment later. When the Haze cleared, the Golbat was nowhere to be seen.

"Sorry about the rain, Ezra. It'll go away in a few minutes. Rain makes my Thunder hit 100% of the time," Kay explained.

"Whatever," Ezra muttered.

"Come on, let's try and find the Stairs," Kay prompted.

"Fine, sure," sighed Carys as she and Ezra followed Kay out of the chamber.

**B2F**

There was a Claydol and Duosion blocking their way in a hall. Ezra and Carys flanked the Claydol from both walls, leaving Kay in the hall.

Carys first-used Trick-or-Treat, turning the Claydol into a ground/psychic/ghost-type. Ezra then tossed a Night Shade at the brown foe, causing it to wail in pain.

It then responded by making the earth tremble. A large crack in the ground appeared in front of Kay, and the Minun was sent high into the air by a bright yellow light that shone from out the crack. Kay landed harshly on her stomach.

"Ahhh…." she moaned weakly.

The Claydol dodged Ezra's Hex, but could not evade Carys' Shadow Ball. A Razor Leaf follow-up defeated the Claydol, leaving only the Duosion.

By now, Kay had more or less recovered.

"Ugh, I hate Earth Power," she winced, getting to her feet.

The Duosion sent out long transparent chains that latched onto Kay and their bag. The chains did not prevent her from moving, but they would prevent her from using healing items.

"Your Heal Block means nothing to us," Kay frowned, Entraining the Duosion until its Overcoat and Magic Guard Abilities were changed into Minus.

Ezra and Carys then hit the Duosion simultaneously with Shadow Ball and Hex. The green foe didn't stand a chance.

The Heal Block faded after a few minutes.

**B3F**

The trio came across a Bronzong in the first chamber they came to. The bell-shaped Pokemon sent out transparent white chains from its hands. The chains draped themselves over their bodies and bag. The chains did not restrict them in any way, but they remained a ghostly presence that would punish them if they tried to heal themselves.

Ezra did not particularly mind the Heal Block, and she threw a Flame Burst at the steel/psychic-type. It made an odd tolling sound, akin to a gong being struck.

It then recovered, and rushed for Ezra. Before she could react, she was struck harshly by the Bronzong's Payback. She was sent flying high into the air, and landed brutally on the ground, creating a small crater.

Kay and Carys avenged her by using their Thunder and Shadow Ball to defeat the blue-green Pokemon.

"You okay?" Kay asked as she helped Ezra to her feet.

"Yeah...yeah," Ezra sighed.

**B4F**

They had spawned with the Stairs, but they had also spawned with a Litwick, who was closer to them than the Stairs.

Ezra stared at her species with a dull curiosity. The Litwick could practically be a clone of her, if it weren't for the fact that Ezra was Shiny.

The Litwick blinked at her, then threw a Shadow Ball from its flame right at her face.

Ezra dove out of the way, and threw her Hex right back at it. The Litwick stumbled backward from the blow, then cried out as it was hit by Kay's Thunder.

Gritting its teeth, the Litwick then generated a white aura around itself. Then Ezra felt her body tingle, and she looked down only to see a similar aura surround her.

The aura drained her energy, making her weaker and weaker while the Litwick appeared to be getting stronger.

"Pain Split!" exclaimed Kay as she gave Ezra a Helping Hand. Ezra felt new strength course through her, and she swiftly delivered a Night Shade to the Litwick.

Her counterpart jumped high into the air to dodge, but Ezra and Kay were quick to KO it with Hex and Thunder once it began to fall back down.

Ezra turned around, wondering where Carys was. The Gourgeist had been running for the Stairs during the battle, and had just reached them.

**B5F**

They spawned in a small room that was shaped rather like a fat S. Kay sat down near a wall and took out the three Sleep Seeds.

"Here's as good a spot as any," she said.

"What are you doing?" Ezra asked hollowly. Kay offered two Sleep Seeds at Ezra and Carys.

"Gonna talk to Lady Cresselia. Before we left, I managed to snag this!" Kay brandished a Lunar Wing, grinning widely. It was old and battered, but a Lunar Wing nevertheless.

"Where'd you get that?!" demanded Ezra in awe.

"This is the Lunar Wing Lady Cresselia gave me when I agreed to be a spy. Now are you going to join me or what?" Kay said, holding out the Sleep Seeds.

Ezra and Carys quickly ducked into a wall for safety before the trio downed the seeds.

"Ezra! Carys! Kay! Are you alright?!" Cresselia and Xerneas were suddenly in front of her. The background was completely white and plain.

"Not really. We're in Decrepit Ruins," Kay winced. Cresselia opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Kay cut her off.

"The secret Dark base is located in the mountain range to the east of Celestial Spire. Just follow the path until you get to a small clearing. The entrance is behind some bushes. And as for our current location…" Kay quickly told the two legendaries where they were.

"Why are you telling us this all of a sudden, when you were so secretive before…?" Xerneas asked, tilting his head. Kay sighed heavily.

"This is _way_ over my head now. I can't save everyone by myself…" she said wearily. Cresselia paused.

"...I thank you for coming around," she said after a moment.

"We're leaving for your location immediately. Try to stall as much as you can," Xerneas said urgently.

"Will do. Oh, and Lady Cresselia? Ezra and Carys were forced to witness a murder on the mountain shore. It's hit them pretty badly. Can you help them?" Kay asked. Cresselia nodded.

"What?" said Carys.

"I can heal you of that nightmare. Stay still," Cresselia said gently as she touched Ezra and Carys' foreheads.

Ezra's head tingled for a brief moment. She blinked, confused.

She tried to think of Alakazam's murder, but found that the memories weren't distressing to her anymore. Alakazam's death screams no longer reverberated through her head either.

"What did you do…?" Carys asked, blinking in shock.

"I healed your nightmare. It's what I do. I'm the healer of mental anguish. I prevented your memories from causing you distress. You still have those memories, but they won't haunt you," Cresselia explained.

Ezra's mind felt clearer, more free. She smiled ruefully.

"Thanks a lot. Now I can focus on getting through the Ruins, only to die," she sighed.

"Don't say that. We'll be there as soon as we can. Again, try to stall Kyurem," Xerneas nodded.

The dream faded, and the trio moved on when they woke up.

**B6F**

The trio had spawned with a Swoobat and Sableye. Kay started off the fight by giving Ezra and Carys a Helping Hand. She tapped Team Banshee's shoulders, and the duo felt raw strength rush through them, raising their attack and special attack.

Ezra nailed the Swoobat with Hex, but the Sableye dodged Carys' Seed Bomb. The Swoobat retaliated by picking Ezra up in its Psychic, and brutally slamming her down onto the ground, knocking the breath out of her. Meanwhile, the Sableye sent Carys flying with its Foul Play.

Ezra got up from the ground, winded. But she nevertheless threw another Hex at her foe. The wily Swoobat flew out of the way, and sent out multiple Air Slashes back at her. Ezra jumped away, evading the attack.

The Sableye was about to go for Carys again, but Kay's Thunder left it wounded and paralyzed. Ezra attempted to end it with Inferno, but to her chagrin the power wouldn't rise. So, instead she settled for giving it a powerful Flame Burst alongside Carys' Razor Leaf. The Sableye fell, leaving only the Swoobat.

While the foe dodged Kay's regular attack, it ultimately fell to Carys' Shadow Ball.

They moved on.

**B7F**

"Hey Carys, can you go over your vision again?" Ezra asked suddenly shortly after they spawned.

"Vision?" echoed Kay, tilting her head in confusion.

"When we fought Dialga, Carys saw a vision of the future in his Roar of Time," Ezra explained. Quickly, Carys recounted what she had seen. Kay's eyes widened.

"So Lady Cresselia and Xerneas _do_ arrive in time! Oh, that's great news! And Hoopa and Victini will be with them as well? Good, good. That makes me feel so much better," Kay sighed, smiling.

"I suppose, but it didn't show me if we won or lost. I don't know if the Dark overpowers them or not," Carys frowned.

"I doubt it; Lady Cresselia Xerneas are much stronger than Kyurem. I'm confident we'll all make it out alive," Kay beamed.

"If you say so," said Carys, clearly having her own doubts.

**B8F**

The trio were walking through a small chamber when Kay accidentally stepped on a Sticky Trap. Green gunk was sprayed upward and all over them and their bag. The gunk came off their bodies easily, but a couple of their items were too goopy to use, much to their consternation.

"Ugh! Great, an apple, Blast Seed, and Reviver Seed are out of commission, unless we find the Secret Bazaar or a Cleanse Orb," Kay said, making a face as she took note of what had been hit the worst from the trap.

Begrudgingly, they moved on.

**B9F**

There was a Cofagrigus blocking their way in a hall. Ezra and Carys ducked into the walls on either side of it, leaving Kay in the hall.

At once, Kay used Entrainment, making the foe dance with her until its Mummy Ability became Minus. The Coffin Pokemon retaliated by giving her a Mean Look, causing Kay to become immobilized. It then formed a Shadow Ball between its top two hands. Before it could throw the ball at Kay, Ezra and Carys quickly distracted it with a simultaneous Hex and Shadow Ball.

It turned around to face Ezra, and she swiftly threw another Hex at it. But right before the purple wave hit it, the Cofagrigus began emitting a purple aura. The Hex hit it, and it was defeated.

However, the purple aura then surrounded Ezra, and she cried out, feeling herself weakened. But that was it. There were no other effects. Confused, she returned to the hall, where Kay had just become mobile again.

"It hit you with Grudge. You can't use Hex anymore. At least, not without this," Kay said, handing Ezra a Max Elixir.

"That'll replenish your energy and make you able to use Hex again. Go on, drink it," Kay nodded. Ezra did.

The Max Elixir had the taste and consistency of milk. When she finished drinking it, she felt stronger, and she tried out a test Hex. To her satisfaction, the move worked.

"Thanks," she smiled at Kay.

**B10F**

"Stairs…" muttered Carys.

**B11F**

Even double Stairs couldn't cheer the group up. It was impossible, not when each floor brought them closer to possible death.

**B12F**

A Steelix and Durant were blocking the trio's way in a corridor. The Iron Snake Pokemon began whipping up a Sandstorm. It wasn't difficult to do, not with all the dust in this place.

**Weather Condition: Sand**

"Ugh. You two are going to have to do most of the work. My Thunder won't do a thing against this Steelix," Kay winced as she Entrained the Steelix to have her Minus.

Ezra and Carys obliged, hitting the giant Pokemon with Flame Burst and Seed Bomb. The large Pokemon didn't seem terribly bothered by the attacks, and responded by slapping Kay with its tail.

The Double-Edge sent Kay flying down the hall.

"Kay!" Ezra exclaimed as the Steelix began slithering after her.

"Keep that Durant busy. I got this," Ezra said to Carys as she stepped into the actual hall.

While Carys kept the Durant's attention, Ezra focused. She used all of her concentration to bring power to her flame. To her satisfaction, something clicked and a blue ball of fire formed in front of her flame.

She gladly sent her Inferno down the hall, where it enveloped the Steelix in its blue fire.

When the flames dissipated, the Steelix was nowhere to be seen. Ezra dropped to the ground for a brief moment, exhausted by the attack. She gritted her teeth as the sandstorm pelted her.

When she had her bearings again, she turned around and KO'd the Durant with Flame Burst.

Kay arrived a few moments later, eating an Oran Berry.

"Thanks for that Inferno. I would've been a goner without it," she shook her head wearily. A few moments later, the sandstorm died down. The trio each ate an apple and continued down the hall.

**B13F**

When they entered a chamber, they found an Elgyem inside. The blue Pokemon started off with Power Split. Red auras surrounded both it and Carys, averaging their attack and special attack.

Ezra and Kay merely looked at each other, and subsequently KO'd the Cerebral Pokemon with Hex and Thunder even before it was done with its attack.

"Ugh," Carys winced, "I need a Wonder Tile."

And so, they set forth once more, in search of either a Wonder Tile or the Stairs.

**B14F**

To their delight, the trio came across a huge Kecleon Market that spanned across the entire chamber. They were even more pleased when they found he had a Cleanse Orb for sale.

They immediately bought it, and broke the orb at their feet.

A torrent of water fell down from the ceiling, washing away all the gunk off their sticky items.

"Noooo not the carpet! It's dry-clean only!" sobbed the Kecleon, falling to his knees.

"Sorry," Kay, Ezra, and Carys chorused sheepishly.

**B15F**

They spawned with a Drifblim and a Mismagius. Kay quickly Entrained the Drifblim to lose its Aftermath and Unburden and gain her Minus. Said Drifblim then responded by pummeling Kay with Shadow Ball.

Ezra and Carys avenged Kay by using a Hex-Shadow Ball combo at the flying/ghost-type. But the foe countered by using Baton Pass, switching places with the Mismagius.

The Mismagius barely had time to blink before it was felled by the combo.

"Wow. You are a heartless Pokemon," Ezra whistled in amazement. She'd never seen a dungeon Pokemon exploit an ally like that before.

The Drifblim snorted, then began upping its special defense with Amnesia.

While it was busy emptying its mind though, the trio hit it simultaneously with Shadow Ball, Night Shade, and Thunder.

The overpowered combo was more than enough to KO it, Amnesia or not.

**B16F**

"Hm, I hope this place isn't too long. B16F and no waypoint yet," Kay frowned as they spawned.

"On the other hand, though, the longer this dungeon, the more time Cresselia and Xerneas have to reach us," reminded Ezra as Kay began leading them through the huge chamber.

"True, true. I'm just glad this place isn't like Abysmal Abyss, where you start out at Level 1, can't bring in any items, and have to enter solOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kay shrieked as she accidentally fell through a Pitfall Trap.

A few seconds later, Ezra and Carys felt a tugging sensation, meaning they were being summoned to the next floor.

**B17F**

They had spawned with a Duosion. Kay was lying on the ground, dazed from the fall. She stood up when the Duosion tried to attack Ezra. Kay Entrained it, but then it surprised them all by using Skill Swap on Ezra.

Suddenly, Ezra felt her Abilities change from Flame Body and Flash Fire to Minus. Now the Duosion had her Abilities.

"Huh, never seen that happen before," Kay remarked right before hitting the green foe with her Thunder.

The attack left the Duosion paralyzed, so it took only a Night Shade from Ezra to defeat it.

Thankfully, she felt her Abilities return to normal a few minutes later.

**B18F**

This particular floor was more like a labyrinth than anything else. It was a huge floor, with long, winding hallways and tiny chamber at the edges. Upon entering one such chamber, Ezra noticed a Reviver Seed lying on the ground. She went to go pick it up—and activated a Warp Trap.

The Dark had taken away Ezra's Trap Scarf and Carys' Fickle Ribbon, so Ezra was warped away somewhere else.

"Why?" she sighed before entering the labyrinth to try and find the others or the Stairs.

**B19F**

After walking through a long, grueling hallway, Ezra was relieved to see a chamber up ahead. From the looks of it, it held a Purple Gummi. But when they entered…

**Monster House!**

Two Litwicks, three Duosions, a Golbat, a Bronzong, two Cofagrigus', three Drifblims, a Swoobat, two Sableyes, four Elgyems, and a Durant all fell from the sky. Ezra groaned weakly upon seeing all the foes.

"Stay in the hall! I got this," Kay shouted to Team Banshee as she entered the Monster House. Ezra and Carys stared at each other in disbelief. Was Kay insane?!

The Minun raised her hands to the ceiling, and rain clouds formed.

**Weather Condition: Rain**

The rain fell down in torrents, creating large puddles all around the huge chamber. Then, as the onslaught of foes rushed to her, Kay used Thunder on one of the Elgyems.

Since all of the Pokemon were wet, and the ground was covered in water, the Thunder hit _everyone_ in the chamber.

The powered-up Thunder instantly KO'd most of the foes, leaving only the Pokemon that levitated or flew. A couple more Thunders ensured that, in only a few seconds, all of the foes had been defeated.

Team Banshee stared at Kay in awe. Her Rain Dance/Thunder combo could be used in amazing ways. Kay turned to them, looking bored.

"This is why you don't take a bath or swim during a lightning storm," she informed them before moving on, acting like she hadn't just done something awesome.

**B20F**

There was a Bronzong and Litwick in a hall. Ezra and Carys surrounded the Bronzong from each side of the walls while Kay was left in the actual dungeon. Kay began her Entrainment, forcing the Bronzong to dance with her until its Levitate and Heatproof Abilities were replaced with Kay's Minus.

Ezra and Carys then pelted it mercilessly with their Flame Burst and Shadow Ball. Unfortunately, the Flame Burst spread to hit the Litwick, and Ezra's counterpart was powered-up, thanks to its Flash Fire.

The Litwick then entered the side of the hall that Carys was in. That wasn't good.

The Bronzong began spinning around in circles, and slammed its Gyro Ball into Kay. Kay fell backwards, but quickly sprang back to her feet and used her Thunder on the foe at the same time that Ezra hit it with Hex.

The Bronzong fell, and not a moment too soon.

Carys reappeared back into the actual dungeon, dodging the Litwick's Inferno. The Litwick stayed in the hall, knowing it was safe from Kay there. Ezra raced into the Litwick's side of the wall, being touched by Kay's Helping Hand first, then blasted her counterpart with Hex.

It shrieked, falling backwards. Before it could Pain Split her, Ezra KO'd it with another Hex.

"Thanks for that," Carys sighed in relief as Ezra returned to the hall.

**B21F**

They had spawned with the Stairs.

**B22F**

The group came across a Sableye and sleeping Durant in a chamber. The Sableye gave Ezra a Mean Look, immobilizing her entire body so that she couldn't move a muscle.

Kay gave Carys a Helping Hand, then Entrained the Sableye to have her Minus. The Sableye then threw a Shadow Ball at the Minun, but the latter jumped high into the air to dodge. Carys successfully nailed the dark/ghost-type with Seed Bomb, and she was about to use it again. But the Sableye quickly slammed her on the head, Quashing her move so that it would go last.

Kay attempted to fry it with Thunder, but the wily Pokemon evaded and hit her with Foul Play.

Carys' Seed Bomb finally went through, and the enemy was momentarily stunned. Carys took this opportunity to hit it with Razor Leaf, and a regular attack from Kay knocked it right out.

Ezra became mobilized a second later.

"Should I go after the Durant next?" Carys asked, looking at the sleeping Durant with glee.

"No, no. Just leave it," Kay shook her head.

"Aww," Carys pouted.

**B23F**

They spawned in with a Golbat and Swoobat.

"Kay! Do that Rain Dance/Thunder combo again!" Ezra shouted.

"It won't work, since these two are in the air. But I can certainly defeat them in no time flat. Get in a wall, so you won't be electrocuted by accident," Kay nodded.

Eagerly, Ezra and Carys phased into a nearby wall. Kay dodged the Golbat's Venoshock, and summoned rain clouds.

**Weather Condition: Rain**

She tanked the Swoobat's Air Slash, then gleefully used Thunder on first the Golbat, then the Swoobat.

The two flying-types fell in a crispy heap to the ground.

**B24F**

"The Stairs are here with us," Ezra said sadly.

**B25F**

As they rounded a corner in a hall, they suddenly came face-to-face with a Cofagrigus. Ezra and Carys went into the walls to assist.

The Cofagrigus gave Kay a Scary Face that made her blanch and slow down. Ezra managed to punish the foe with Night Shade before it caught on that there were Pokemon in the walls.

The Cofagrigus then evaded both Carys' Shadow Ball and Ezra's Hex. It gave a booming laugh as it continued to evade their attacks. But while it was laughing, Kay threw an X-Eye Seed at it.

Immediately, the foe's eyes went cross-eyes, and its arms fell limp.

"Thanks," Ezra said to Kay, who gave a hard smile in return.

A combined Hex-Shadow Ball knocked the foe right out.

**B26F**

"Say, Kay...after this is all over, if we get out of this alive… what will you do next?" Ezra asked hesitantly as they were walking through a room.

Kay was silent for a long time. Just when Ezra was beginning to think Kay hadn't heard her, she said,

"I don't know. For months, all I was focused on is setting Mawile free, and later avenging his death. Now I won't be able to do that...Honestly, I'm not sure. I haven't thought about my future in a long time. I guess I'll figure it out when the time comes. What about you two?"

Ezra and Carys looked at each other.

"We're not sure either. Just...try to recover, I guess. Try to forget this ever happened and just move on with our lives," Ezra said. Kay nodded slowly.

"Moving on...I guess that's how I'll spend my future, then, too…" she said quietly and thoughtfully.

The trio were silent for the rest of the floor, each lost in her own thoughts.

**B27F**

An Elgyem and Claydol were in the fourth chamber the trio came to. Kay instantly used her Entrainment on the Elgyem, and Carys got the Claydol's attention with Razor Leaf.

The Elgyem used Guard Split, averaging it and Kay's defense and special defense. Kay merely gave both Ezra and Carys a Helping Hand

The Claydol tried to Imprison Ezra, but she shared no moves with it, so the attack was rendered null. She punished its stupidity with Hex. The Claydol began whipping up a Sandstorm using all the dust on the ground.

**Weather Condition: Sand **

Everyone minus the Claydol winced as the churning dust pelted them. The Elgyem began glowing yellow, using Recover.

Kay threw a Thunder at it while Ezra dodged an Earth Power.

Carys defeated the Elgyem with a critically-struck Shadow Ball at the same time Kay was enveloped in the Claydol's white Hyper Beam. Another white beam shone down from above, signaling the use of a Reviver Seed.

The foe paused, momentarily exhausted by the attack.

Carys took advantage by throwing Seed Bombs at the Clay Doll Pokemon, and said Clay Doll Pokemon fell to the ground.

Thankfully, the sandstorm dissipated a few minutes later.

**B28F**

"Stairs," Carys said dully.

**B29F**

There was a Litwick in the hall with them. Ezra and Carys went into the walls. The Litwick started off by Cursing Kay, cutting its health. The Minun then began screaming, clutching her head in agony.

The Litwick jumped out of the way of Ezra's Night Shade and Carys' Shadow Ball. When it landed, it formed a blue ball of fire in front of its flame. Ezra's eye widened in recognition, and she jumped in front of the still-screaming Kay when the Inferno was launched.

Ezra tilted her head back, enjoying the fiery bath. She grinned in pleasure as power coursed through her, courtesy of her Flash Fire.

The Litwick tilted its head when it saw that Ezra had been hit instead, but they all knew it wasn't worried. The Litwick had Flash Fire too, so it didn't have to worry about Ezra's powered-up fire-type attacks.

Ezra threw a Hex at it, and it flattened itself against the ground, just barely missing the move.

But it wasn't quick enough to evade Carys' Shadow Ball, and just like that the Litwick was gone.

Ezra quickly gave Kay an Oran Berry, and soon the Minun was freed of the Curse.

**B30F**

The trio had spawned with a Mismagius. The purple ghost-type began Growling cutely, lowering their attack. They didn't care, though. They were purely special-attackers.

The Mismagius was quickly dispatched by Hex and Shadow Ball, and the trio set forward.

For every floor they had been through, the trio had wandered around until The Wind began calling. They did this to stall for time as long as possible. Each time The Wind began stirring, they had been forced to move on to the next floor.

Thus, on this floor, when The Wind began blowing, they headed back to the chamber with the Stairs.

"Next floor it is, then," Kay sighed.

"Hopefully this isn't the last one," Carys nodded miserably.

With much resignation, Kay, Ezra, and Carys descended.

* * *

**Ezra and Carys can't try and escape the dungeon via Secret Bazaar or Escape Orb, because 1) they'd be leaving their friends to die, and 2) The entrance is being guarded. The duo would only get thrown back in with Kay.**

**While Carys' vision means that help will arrive, it did not say what would be the outcome of that fight. Will the town win? Or the Dark rebels? Will anyone die, and will the Nether Veil be uncovered? Impossible to say at this point.**


	90. Chapter 90

**Decrepit Altar**

To their surprise and horror, they had made it to the end of the dungeon. The dungeon's end held a giant dais in the center of the large chamber. Intricate red runes were painted all along the dais, and large candles were lit all along the walls. The floor and walls were both made out of rugged black stone. Large support beams connected the four corners of the ceiling to the ground

Most of the Dark rebels and the captives had already arrived. The captives were standing fearfully on the dais while the Dark surrounded them.

"Ah, hello Team Banshee! Now all we need are Sonya, Chandra, and Blue Hood!" Kyurem beamed upon spotting them.

"Apologies for being late; these two were trying their hardest to escape me. Had to get them back under control," Kay apologized, reverting to her Dark persona. Immediately, Ezra and Carys tried to play the part of despondent prisoners as Kay pushed them upon onto the dais with the rest of the captives.

"I see...Well, in any case, I'm glad you've arrived with them. Speaking of escape, however _did_ you two escape us the first time?" Kyurem asked the duo. Ezra raised her head.

"You left a candle and a jack-o-lantern unattended. You never leave a candle or jack-o-lantern unattended," she informed. Kyurem laughed.

"Fair enough! I don't particularly care much about that, actually. I'll get my sweet revenge here in a moment anyway."

Kay tossed her bag into the corner, where other bags were lying. They waited and waited, but the last three Pokemon did not arrive. As time passed, the Dark members were getting antsier and antsier. Ezra could hear brief whispers about doing the ritual without them.

"No, no. This is a special party, one whose attendance is mandatory. We wait for Son, Chan, and that Lucario," Kyurem told them firmly.

So again, the group waited and waited. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the Typhlosion and Sonya arrived, dragging Blue Hood along.

"Sorry we're late!" the Typhlosion panted, hauling Blue Hood up to the dais.

"There weren't any Escehpe Orbs een the dungeon, so we thught he couldn't escehpe. Then we found a Secret Bazaar, and before we could stup heem, he pehd Shedeenja to escehpe. Me, Chandra, Team Rogue, and Team Terra had to subdue heem and bring heem through the dungeon again," Sonya explained, panting hard.

"You okay? Are you hurt?" Ezra asked Blue Hood.

"Yes, I'm fine...Arceus, but those Pokemon are tough," he wheezed, putting his hands on his knees.

"Alright, everyone's here! Now the main event can get under way!" Kyurem boomed happily once the Dark rebels had taken up positions all around the dais.

"Please let us go…" Rose begged softly.

"Not a chance. Now then...let's get started," Kyurem grinned.

All of the rebels began preparing to attack. Sonya flipped her dagger up in the air and expertly caught it while sparks began flying from Kay's cheeks.

The town tensed, knowing they were severely outnumbered and outmatched in terms of power. They had been beaten and starved for three days while their captors were fit and healthy. Ezra looked desperately at the exit, hoping that Cresselia and the others would arrive soon.

Kyurem stepped forward, his icy aura causing everyone to begin shivering.

"It is time for the ceremonial sacrifice to the Dark Altar of Decrepit Ruins. These Pokemon's blood shall reveal the Nether Veil to us, and with it we shall restore the Lord Giratina back to glory!" he shouted formally. The Dark rebels cheered loudly.

"On my signal, attack the sacrifices with all your strength! Show them absolutely no mercy! Kill them all! One...two—"

"_I THINK NOT!_" Kyurem was interrupted by a harsh woman's voice. A second later, a small ball of fire slammed straight into Kyurem's gut, sending him sprawling into the Ditto, Conkeldurr, and Altaria.

The small ball of fire jumped high into the air, and the fire disappeared, leaving behind Victini. A purple crescent of psychic power whizzed by her and straight into the Dark rebels on the left side of the chamber.

Ezra's heart soared when she saw Cresselia, Xerneas, and Hoopa standing by the exit. A wide grin spread across her face, and she was sure she looked quite silly. But she didn't care. Help had finally arrived.

"What are you all doing here?! How did you get here so quickly?!" Kyurem demanded, getting to his feet and shaking his head.

"We're Arceusdamned _legendaries_; dungeons like this are child's play compared to our strength. Now surrender, all of you!" shouted Cresselia.

Kyurem only stared at them for a moment before yelling out, "ATTACK THEM!"

As the Dark rebels and the legendaries began their fight, Hoopa warped to the Pokemon on the dais and handed out Oran Berries and apples.

"Thank Arceus we got here in time! Now please, help us arrest the Pokemon who hurt you!" he exclaimed before warping the items in the corner to some other place so that the Dark couldn't use them. He then went off to Hyperspace Hole Karrablast.

The captives eagerly downed the berries and apples. They'd need real medical treatment, but right now that could wait.

Right now, they had to literally fight for their lives.

"I am the legendary of life! That means that I am the life of the party! And what's this? A party? Without _me_?! _This is for not inviting me!_" Xerneas stormed, Megahorning Celebi straight into unconsciousness.

Kyurem spat out a powerful gust of icy wind at Cresselia. It was similar to Icy Wind, yet it was more powerful, more colder than the attack. Cresselia evaded, and caught Kyurem in her Psychic. Ezra could see a vein appear in her forehead as she struggled to lift the large Pokemon into the air high enough for her attack to do any real damage.

Meanwhile, the other legendaries were swiftly turning the tide. Victini and Hoopa had successfully worked together to put down Virizion, and Xerneas had just defeated Keldeo with his Moonblast. A green aura surrounded Xerneas, and his Geomancy powered up his special attack, special defense, and speed significantly. He and Ezra caught each other's eyes, and together the two took down the Torterra Tohoku with Moonblast and Flame Burst.

The HB, on the other hand, were busy trading blows with Sonya, dodging her knife while at the same time attacking her with their all. Carys stealthily snuck up behind the Banette and hit her with Shadow Ball. The Banette turned to see who was attacking her, and that gave the HB all the opportunity they needed. Blue Hood tackled Sonya to the ground and held her down while the other members knocked her unconscious with their attacks.

The Lofts employees just tried to stay out of the way, being unused to battling. Franziska, who was practically useless without her scalchops, settled for kicking and punching any Dark rebel that got too close to her coworkers. Ranna and Meloetta were working together, using Sing and Teeter Dance on as many Dark rebels as they could.

The Ditto had Transformed into Cresselia, making it difficult for everyone to determine which Cresselia was friend and which was foe. But, Ezra saw one Cresselia use Lunar Dance on Kyurem, who was quickly losing to Cresselia and Xerneas' combined efforts.

"That one's the fake Cresselia!" Ezra shouted over the roar of the fight. Thankfully, Roman, Will, and Trina heard her.

As the fake Cresselia began using Moonlight on itself, the four ambushed it with a surprise Flame Burst/Poison Fang/Leaf Blade/Needle Arm combo.

"Gahh! Get _off_ of me!" the fake Cresselia hissed in a completely androgynous voice.

Its voice was deep enough to pass as a tenor or countertenor, but it could also pass as a contralto as well. Ezra honestly couldn't tell what gender the Ditto was, and she was too focused on defeating it to really care. So, for the time being, Ezra referred to the Ditto as an "it".

The Ditto struck both Trina and Will with Psycho Cut, sending them stumbling backward a few steps. While the Ditto was certainly strong, it did not have Cresselia's natural strength.

Together, Ezra and Roman put down the Ditto with their Inferno and Wood Hammer. The fake Cresselia turned back into a Ditto.

By now, the tide was turning against the Dark rebels. Carys, Xerneas, and Chrysi had successfully KO'd Entei, leaving Kyurem as the only Dark legendary still standing. He, Xerneas, and Cresselia were still locked in a fierce battle. Kay was just standing there, staring intensely at Kyurem.

A lot of the captives had been defeated by now. All of the Lofts employees minus Franziska were unconscious, along with Grayson, Sam, Milana, Ambrose, Marcus, Cave, Sky, and Dyrim.

But then, most of the Dark had been defeated as well. Only Kyurem, the Togetic, the Sliggoo, the Quilava, the Duosion, Metang, and the Altaria were left. While Kyurem battled with Cresselia and Xerneas, the remaining captives got to work.

Victini's ears glowed white as she drew in sunlight. While she was charging up, Carys and Hoopa swiftly knocked out the Duosion with their Shadow Balls. Then Victini launched her SolarBeam, which dispatched the Sliggoo in one hit.

The Altaria began singing an awful song, one that drained the life out of all that heard it, as well as from the Altaria. Ezra grimaced, covering her ears (if she had any) in a vain attempt to block out the Perish Song. Chrysi collapsed, and eventually so did Franziska.

"Enough of this!" Victini shouted, turning into a ball of flame. Her Searing Shot launched into the air, and the Altaria was struck cruelly by the attack. Fortunately, the powerful attack was enough to KO the Altaria instantly. The dreadful song ended, only for Ranna's Sing to lull the remaining three enemies to sleep.

This left only Kyurem.

Ezra turned to witness him shoot a powerful gray Flash Cannon from his mouth and onto Cresselia. The psychic-type cried out as she was sent careening into the wall. She fell to the ground, but resolutely she began drawing energy from the moon, her Moonlight restoring her health.

She got up again as Xerneas avenged her with a Megahorn. Kyurem fell backwards as he was struck. He shook his head, and looked around the room.

"What?" he demanded once he realized he and Kay were the only members standing. "How could this happen?! How could my followers be defeated so easily?!"

"Because Light _always_ triumphs over Dark, Kyurem. Surrender now," Cresselia demanded as everyone minus Kay and Team Banshee set about securing the unconscious Dark rebels.

"Never. How did you even find this place? No one but us knew the location," he asked.

"I told them," Kay said boldly, stepping towards Kyurem. He whipped around, staring at her intensely.

"Kay? No, that's impossible," Kyurem said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Kay held out her Lunar Wing for all to see.

"My name is Kay. I've been a spy for Lady Cresselia ever since I joined the Dark. _I _told Lady Cresselia and Xerneas about Giratina's plans! _I _told them on multiple occasions that Team Renegade were heading for their location! _I _told them that Arceus had lost its last two Shards! _I_ told them where the Time Shield and Air Blade were hidden! _I_ told them where the remaining Shards were hidden! _I _helped Team Banshee escape from you!" Kay shouted, sparks flying from her cheeks.

Kyurem stared at her for some time, then a furious expression came onto his face.

"You little traitor. I _trusted _you! You were my closest comrade! Kay, how can you say you're on the Light's side? You've _killed_ Pokemon! That is _not_ the action of a Light Pokemon!" Kyurem shouted, causing the ceiling to shake a bit.

"I did this all for Detective Mawile. I was his apprentice, and then Team Renegade kidnapped him! Originally, I just wanted to free him. But then...BUT THEN YOU _KILLED _HIM! AND NOW I MUST AVENGE HIM BY KILLING _YOU!_" Kay shouted at the top of her lungs, launching a Thunder at the ice/dragon-type. Kyurem evaded the attack.

"'Kill me'? Please. Kay, you're strong, but you don't possess nearly the strength required to defeat me. And since I know I'm outnumbered here…"

Before anyone could stop him, Kyurem propelled a blue Dragon Pulse around the room and into the support beams, causing all four of them to disintegrate. Immediately after, he launched his Flash Cannon into the center of the ceiling. The powerful Flash Cannon burst through the top of the dungeon, where high above, the sky could be seen.

With nothing to hold the ceiling up, the chamber began trembling as the ceiling began to cave in.

"We gotta go! Everyone, get out now!" Cresselia yelled.

The remaining explorers picked up their fallen comrades and the unconscious Dark rebels and quickly scurried out of the dungeon and to safety. Those with Psychic held multiple Pokemon, as there were not enough Pokemon to carry everyone physically.

"Come on, Ezra!" Carys shouted, taking Ezra hand and dragging her towards the exit.

Ezra pulled away from Carys' grip, and turned around. She saw Kyurem and Kay standing in the center of the room, glaring at each other intensely.

"What are you doing?! The dungeon's caving in!" Ezra shouted.

"I don't care. I stayed on as Cresselia's spy because I owe Mawile a life debt that requires me to avenge his death. This is my chance! I'm _not_ gonna let Kyurem live! Death is the only option! Nothing else is good enough!" Kay stated, never once taking her eyes off of Kyurem.

"My followers have been arrested, and I am outmatched. I've nothing to lose now. I am satisfied with staying here to kill this Minun. I trusted Kay with my life...only to find that she is my greatest enemy. There is only one punishment for traitors, and that is death. Kay, I will make you _regret_ betraying me!" Kyurem seethed, blowing his Icy-Wind-yet-not-Icy-Wind at Kay.

Kay leaped out of the way, dodging part of the falling ceiling as well. She then launched her Thunder at Kyurem, who shrugged off the attack as if it was nothing.

"EZRA GET OUT OF THERE!" Ezra heard Cresselia's voice, then all of a sudden she felt herself being caught in Psychic.

She struggled as hard as could, but she could not break through, and she could only watch helplessly as she was taken out of the chamber while Kay and Kyurem continued their battle as the dungeon continued to collapse.

* * *

Ezra blinked when the light of the sun hit her once she was outside. Only then did Cresselia release her from her Psychic.

Ezra turned back to Decrepit Ruins, only to watch in horror as the dungeon completely collapsed.

When the dust settled, only chunks of rock remained of the entrance.

"Everyone alright?" Cresselia asked the group.

"What happened?!" Luna of the Lunar Wind exclaimed. She and her teammates were guarding the trussed-up Dark members who were left to guard the entrance.

"Kyurem caused the dungeon to collapse. Decrepit Ruins is gone forever, by the looks of it. ...Speaking of, where _is_ Kyurem?" Cresselia frowned, looking around.

"He and Kay are still down there!" Ezra sobbed as tears came to her eye. As much as she wanted to believe that Kay was still alive, the small rational part of her brain told her that deep down, she knew that it was impossible for either of them to have survived.

"_WHAT?!_" Cresselia shrieked.

"Hoopa, Victini, help me move these rocks! We need to get Kay and Kyurem out of here, ASAP!" she ordered.

"Ranna, put the LW's captives to sleep. The rest of you, go to the beach. Kyogre's waiting, and he'll take you all home. Xerneas, I want you to go with them in case anything happens. I...I need to stay here," Cresselia said, her voice soft at the end. Xerneas nuzzled her.

"I understand completely. Don't worry, they're in safe hands. Er, hooves, rather," he assured her. To the others, he shouted, "Okay, everyone! To the beach!"

Ezra, Carys, and Meloetta stayed behind, watching as the three legendaries began to excavate the collapsed dungeon.

"You three need to join the others," Cresselia said dully, noticing them.

"We want to help," Ezra pleaded. Cresselia shook her head.

"No. Thank you, but no. Right now, you need to go back to Lily Town. This'll take us a while. Kay...I knew you were determined to end Kyurem, but I never realized how strongly you felt…" Cresselia sighed.

Meloetta put her hands on Team Banshee's shoulders.

"Come on," she said, tears in her eyes, "let's go home."

With much resignation, the three walked down to the beach. They climbed aboard Kyogre, who then began a steady swim to the coast near Lily Town.

Along the way, Xerneas suddenly looked up, and turned towards the Dark island.

"Oh…" he said softly.

"What is it?" asked Ezra.

"Nothing...nothing at all," Xerneas sighed, refusing to answer.

The journey home was silent and morose. While all of the captives had made it out alive, they were haunted by their experiences. They couldn't imagine getting back to their daily lives, not after what they had seen.

When Kyogre reached the shore, the town got off of his back. The Lunar Wind stayed behind, along with the subdued Dark rebels. The trio would take them all to prison.

"Farewell, and good luck," Kyogre said briefly before heading back into the sea. Xerneas began escorting them back home.

* * *

**Lily Town**

When the group arrived, the remainder of the town respectfully kept their distance, aware that the newly-freed captives were in no mood to talk.

Their minds were all on autopilot by the time they entered the Lofts.

When they saw that their Christmas tree and presents had all been destroyed, they only sighed, and everyone headed off to their beds.

Ezra stared at the ceiling in her room. She couldn't believe that this day had ever happened. She tried not to think about Kay, but found that she couldn't take her mind off of the Minun. Was she alive? Or had she died, crushed to death by the collapsing dungeon? Her mind was in turmoil as she struggled to believe that Kay was alive.

Throughout the day, the other townspeople came in, bringing food and water to the unresponsive residents. Not a single one could eat. Their minds were still trying to process the events of the past few days.

Sora and Wanda came in as well, and the two, with Xerneas' help, set about giving the Pokemon medical attention. Ezra hardly noticed as Sora examined her and Carys. She was too focused on Kay to care about anything else.

* * *

She didn't remember falling asleep, but suddenly she, Carys, and all of he former captives were in a dream audience with Cresselia and Xerneas.

"Hello, everyone. Made it home alright?" Cresselia asked formally with concern. No one answered her.

"...Well, there are no new updates as of yet. We're still trying to reach the end of the ruins. How are you all doing?" Cresselia went on.

"Horrible. I can't stop thinking about what the Dark did to me," Rose said, cringing at some horrible memory. The rest of the town agreed with her, each shuddering at their own experiences.

"I can help you all with that. I'm the healer of mental anguish, as you may know. As such, I can change your memories so that they do not distress you, and I can cure your post-traumatic stress," Cresselia offered.

"Oh, _please do_," moaned Sips. The others nodded vehemently.

"Very well. Everyone that wishes my assistance, please line up," Cresselia instructed.

"Should we line up as well?" Carys asked Ezra as the others began lining up in front of Cresselia. Ezra thought for a minute.

"No, I don't think so. Compared to the others, we got off lightly. But…I feel so guilty. _We_ caused the Dark to kidnap our friends, and I gave Kyurem the location of Decrepit Ruins. This is all our fault…" Ezra's lip trembled.

"The Dark chose to kidnap your friends, Ezra. You didn't cause that. You didn't tell the Dark to imprison your friends and torture them. And by giving Kyurem what he wanted, you stopped your friends from further torture," Xerneas said, coming over to them.

"You couldn't control the Dark's actions. _They_ chose to capture and hurt your friends," he went on. Ezra sighed and wiped her eye.

"I guess..." she looked over at Cresselia, who was busy healing Rose.

"It...seems like the easy way out. Getting their emotions modified," she observed quietly.

"To some it may seem that way. But it's certainly better than living with that pain for the rest of your life. Survivor's guilt and PTSD are truly horrid things to have to endure. Cresselia is giving them the chance to move on without having to endure all that. How many Pokemon have that opportunity?" Xerneas said solemnly.

Ezra bit her lip, then sighed.

"I suppose you're right. I'm going to get in line," she said as she went over. Carys joined her, to her surprise.

When it was their turn, Cresselia asked them what they wanted done to their emotions.

"The same as you did with Alakazam's murder," Ezra replied. "I want to remember these memories, but I don't want them to haunt me."

Carys agreed.

"Very well. One moment," Cresselia nodded, and Ezra's head began tingling again for a second.

When the tingling stopped, Ezra felt much better. She remembered all that she had endured, but the memories seemed far away, as if they happened a long time ago. She felt as if she had come to terms with them, accepted them, and moved on.

"How's that?" inquired Cresselia. Ezra smiled faintly.

"Much better. Thank you," she said.

"Yes, thank you," Carys nodded.

Cresselia nodded as well, and floated over to the others.

"I will leave you all now. I must get back to the ruins," she announced, raising her voice.

"Before you go...I need to tell you something," Xerneas trotted over, and whispered something to Cresselia. Ezra saw her bite her lip.

"I...see...Well, i-if that's all, I will leave you a-all to your slumber. I shall s-see you all soon…"

And just like that, the dream ended.

* * *

**The not-Icy-Wind attack is Glaciate, for those who are wondering.**

**My new goal is to finish this story once and for all on the 31st. It's a bittersweet moment for us all, but alas, all good things must eventually come to an end…**

**The next post shall contain: a job, the results of the cave-in, and a visit from Arceus.**


	91. Chapter 91

The next day, the residents woke feeling much better. Well, _mentally_, at least. Physically, they were still very much feeling the effects of their time as the Dark's prisoners.

They ate the food the townspeople had brought them yesterday with much relish, and after they had finished eating they headed into the commons room, staring morosely at the remains of their Christmas decorations.

All of the presents had been smashed to pieces, their contents destroyed completely. The tree had been sliced to branches, and all of the ornaments had been shattered. Their couches had all been torn apart, and the logs from the fireplace were strewn all over the room.

"*sigh*...I guess I'd better start cleaning this up," Rose sighed, turning to head for the supply closet for a broom.

"I would not advise that. You need to rest and let your wounds heal," Sora advised as he and Wanda came up from the first floor. Rose looked down at her torso, which was covered in bandages.

"But I'm the manager; I can't rest!" she protested.

"We'll take care of things, Miss Rose. We and the other townspeople agreed to help run the Lofts while you guys recover," Wanda assured her. Rose sighed.

"I suppose I have no choice, do I?" she asked resignedly.

"That is correct," Sora confirmed as he led Rose to her bedroom.

"What all do you need?" Wanda asked the other residents.

"New furniture, for one. I need new scalchops, and this place needs to be cleaned up," Franziska listed, gesturing at the Christmas wreckage.

"We can help with the cleaning," Roman offered, stepping forward. His team agreed.

"We three can go out to Firewood City and buy some new furniture," Sips proposed, gesturing to Cave and Sky.

"You're forgetting me," Blue Hood frowned. He started to walk towards them, but his bandaged right leg gave way under him, and he stumbled. Roman and Chrysi quickly caught him. Blue Hood flushed with hurt pride.

"You were attacked by Sonya Ivanova; you're not going to heal overnight, Boss. Don't think I didn't see you wince and limp all the way home yesterday. She cut a tendon, didn't she? Boss, you might need surgery," Cave sympathized.

"I don't need—" Blue Hood's angry retort was cut off by Wanda.

"Oh my gosh! You must be in so much pain...you need to lie down, immediately! I don't know if Sora can fix your leg, but if not we'll take you to someone who can," she ordered gently, using her Psychic to carry the startled Lucario off his feet and into his room.

"Don't let him get up! Hold him down if you have to!" she called over her shoulder to Cave, Sips, and Sky. All three saluted.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this," Sips muttered wickedly, grinning slyly to his teammates, who gave him a similar grin.

The others got brooms and trash cans and began to clean up the mess from the invasion. The Bravo Specials went out to buy new furniture in the stead of the HB, who were struggling to keep Blue Hood off his foot. About fifteen minutes later, Hoopa warped into the room.

"Hey guys," he said morosely.

"Hoopa! How goes the excavation?" Milana fretted. Hoopa sighed.

"Nothing yet. We're still going to be a while. Just wanted to update you all," he reported.

"Whenever you're able to, could you get my scalchops? Hopefully they're still in the Dark secret base," requested Franziska, who was sweeping up ornament shards.

"Oh, and our Trap Scarf and Fickle Ribbon, please?" Carys piped up.

"Can do. Anything else you guys need? ...No? Alright. I'll get back to it," Hoopa agreed before warping away.

The clean-up job took them only an hour. Neal and Sora came in and helped them carry away trash bags and tree branches. To their surprise, it was only a quarter after noon when they had finished.

"Ugh. I need something to do, otherwise I'll go crazy thinking out Kay and Kyurem," Carys groaned, flopping down on the floor.

"You could take on a job. Jumpluff from the bank has been collecting the job requests while you guys were...occupied. She brought them over this morning," Xerneas said helpfully, settling down to eat a gigantic pile of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Oh, that'd be awesome. Come on, Ez," Carys beckoned Ezra downstairs as Franziska stuck a sandwich on one of his horns, much to his displeasure.

They leafed through the pile of requests, and eventually settled on a rescue request that took place in Sky Paradise. Their client was a Whimsicott who was stuck on 12F.

Since their items had been confiscated when they had been captured, Team Banshee needed new supplies. Luckily, Pelipper always kept spare bags, so they grabbed one as was befitting of their Gold Rank, meaning they could hold up to 32 items.

From storage, they took out: 99 Gravelrocks, three apples, three Oran Berries, two Blast Seeds, four Reviver Seeds, two Sleep Seeds, two Stun Seeds, three X-Eye Seeds, and an Escape Orb. As for held items, Carys took out a Stamina Band while Ezra took out a Pecha Scarf. It wasn't her first choice, but it would have to do for now.

Once they were all set, they began the trek to the cloudy tower.

* * *

**Sky Paradise (**** watch?v=B5n-s2JKCq4****)**

**1F**

It'd been almost five months since they'd last been in this dungeon. Everything was made of clouds. The floor, the walls, everything. The floor was made of soft, white clouds that made Ezra feel like she was walking on marshmallows, or sponges. The ground would sag a bit underneath her weight, but would spring back up as soon as she left that spot. The walls were the palest gray imaginable, and were covered in vines. A few pink flowers grew along the vines, and there were a few thicker tendrils keeping the floor secure. In lieu of pools of water, there were gaps in the floor, where the world below was visible. While stepping into one of the gaps would only teleport her, Ezra still did not relish the thought of tumbling out of a gap and to her doom.

"Oh wow...I'd forgotten how beautiful this place was," Ezra marveled softly, gazing around the landscape.

"Yeah...Let's see, we were searching for one of Arceus' Shards when we first came here, right?" Carys recalled.

"Yep, that's right. Chrysi was too scared to climb this tower, so we went instead," Ezra confirmed, nodding.

They admired the scene for a few moments more, then they set off for 12F.

**2F**

A Fletchinder and Tranquill were blocking their passage inside a corridor. Carys stepped into the wall, as she was weak against flying-types.

The Ember Pokemon in front of Ezra began whirling up a Razor Wind, so before it could unleash the attack Ezra nailed it with Hex. The Fletchinder stumbled backward, but resolutely sent out the attack. It flapped its wings, and multiple, white, crescent-shaped blades of wind came flying towards Ezra, who shielded her face with her hands. She grimaced as the blades whipped at her body, but thankfully the attack didn't do too much damage to her.

Behind the Fletchinder, Ezra witnessed the Tranquill get hit smack in the face by Carys' Razor Leaf. Ezra nodded in approval, and set about throwing her Hex at the Fletchinder. The speedy foe flew out of the way, and began Roosting, restoring its health.

Ezra merely hit it with Night Shade as soon as the move was completed, causing the Fletchinder to squawk in indignation. Before it could attack or heal, Ezra swiftly knocked it out with Hex.

As the Fletchinder fell, the Tranquill began whipping up a Razor Wind as well. Ezra only groaned in exasperation, and dispatched the normal/flying-type with a critically-struck Flame Burst

**3F**

"Stairs the there's! ...Wait," Carys paused in confusion.

**4F**

As Ezra was leading Carys through a small, triangular chamber, she accidentally stumbled upon a Gust Trap.

Strong wind began whirling from under her feet, propelling her towards the east.

"Waaaahhh!" she cried as she flew through the air.

She crashed into the far eastern wall, but there was a gap in the floor underneath it.

Thankfully, instead of plummeting to her doom, Ezra was merely warped away to another room instead.

**5F**

They had spawned with a Pidgeotto. The Bird Pokemon swooped for Carys' face, Attacking her with its Wings repeatedly until Carys pushed it away with Razor Leaf.

"That wasn't nice!" Carys stormed as she struck it with Seed Bomb.

The Pidgeotto recoiled, then a light blue aura surrounded it. It flew high into the air and flapped its wings, releasing dozens of blue feathers down upon Ezra and Carys. The Feather Dance settled over the duo, sharply lowering their attack.

Ezra only rolled her eye, and shot down the foe with her Flame Burst, which was a _special _attack.

**6F**

When they entered a chamber of medium size, they found a Staravia and Noctowl inside. Both Pokemon were facing away from the duo, so Team Banshee got the foes' attention with a Flame Burst and Razor Leaf. The enemies whirled around, furious. They took to the sky, and dove at the two ghost-types. Ezra was rammed by the Staravia's Aerial Ace, while Carys was hit by the Noctowl's Take Down.

The Noctowl recoiled from the blow, and Ezra quickly conquered it with Flame Burst. A few seconds later, she was blown across the room by the Staravia's Whirlwind. She collided with the far wall, and she lay on the ground for a stunned moment.

When she got her bearings back, she stood up and watched as Carys shot the foe down with Seed Bomb. It tried to get back up, but Carys' Razor Leaf ensured that it wouldn't.

**7F**

"Steers! No, wait, _Stairs!_" Carys laughed, correcting herself.

**8F**

A blue-and-white Altaria had been following them for the past few minutes, and by now Ezra was getting rather tired of it.

"Can we fight that Altaria? It's getting on my nerves," she asked Carys as she turned around, ready to get rid of their tail.

"Sure," Carys agreed amiably, ducking into the hall as the Altaria came closer.

"Go away!" Ezra berated it, tossing a Flame Burst down the hall. The Altaria hardly even flinched as the fire-type attack landed.

"Altaria has high special defense," Carys advised as she took the foe Trick-or-Treating.

The Altaria responded by doing an odd Dragon Dance that raised its speed and attack. It then wrapped its cottony wings around its body. This Cotton Guard drastically raising its defense, as if it needed more protection.

Ezra threw a Hex at it, but the Humming Pokemon took to the sky, dodging the attack. It opened its beak, charging up a red Dragon Breath. Ezra prepared to jump out of the way, but to her astonishment Carys threw a Stun Seed into its open mouth.

The Altaria cringed, as if it had eaten something rotten. Its body convulsed, and it seized up in paralysis. Ezra got over her surprise quickly, and together she and Carys assaulted the Altaria with two Hexes and a Shadow Ball.

Finally, their annoying tail was gone.

**9F**

Ezra noticed a Sky Gummi lying dejectedly in a corner in the chamber she and Carys were now entering. She walked over to it and picked it up.

"Want it?" she offered, holding the Gummi out to Carys.

"Don't mind if I do," Carys said smoothly, popping the Gummi into her mouth.

"Mmm. Marshmallows," Carys sighed in bliss.

Ezra chuckled, and they moved on.

**10F**

A Swellow and Tranquill were impeding their progress through a hall. Carys jumped into the wall, and one second later she struck the Swellow with Seed Bomb. The Swellow shouted in surprise and turned to see who the heck was attacking it, While its back was turned, Ezra happily hit it with Flame Burst.

Somehow the Swellow survived, and it was not pleased. It flew around in circles, raising its Agility. Then it flew for Ezra, striking her as it soared past her. Ezra fell on her back, not expecting the Aerial Ace. At least the squishy ground cushioned her fall.

She got back up and tossed another Flame Burst at the Swallow Pokemon, but it flew out of the way and the attack landed on the Tranquill instead. The latter squawked in anger, but it couldn't do much about it. The hall wasn't big enough for two Pokemon to be side-by-side.

Ezra shot another Flame Burst, this time angling it toward the right. The Swellow dodged to the left—and flew straight into Carys' Razor Leaf.

It fell to the ground, and the peeved Tranquill opened with a Taunt. It flapped its left wing in a "come at me" gesture, infuriating Ezra. This little runt thought _it_ could defeat _her_?

She was going to show it the error of its ways. With a bellow, she threw a Flame Burst at the cocky little miscreant. The Tranquill generated a blue shield, Detecting her attack.

But once the shield was down, Carys smacked it with Seed Bomb, and it turned in confusion, just wondering what was hitting it.

The vengeful Ezra took this chance to obliterate the foe with Flame Burst, grinning in victory when it fell.

Her anger at being Taunted vanished a few seconds later.

**11F**

"Easy floors are best floors!" declared Carys upon seeing the Stairs.

**12F**

_Ping!_ went their badges, signaling they that had arrived on the right floor. As luck would have it, their client, Whimsicott, was in their spawn chamber.

"Oh, hello!" Whimsicott said brightly upon seeing them. "Are you an exploration team?"

"We sure are. We're here to get you out of here," Ezra nodded as she and Carys walked up to her.

"Thank goodness. I was riding the winds, and I was blown inside this dungeon. I'm weak to flying-types, you see, so I couldn't fight my way out. I'll see you back at the Lofts!" Whimsicott explained before Team Banshee beamed her out.

A second later, they beamed themselves out of the dungeon.

* * *

**Lily Town**

When they arrived back in town, they witnessed four Drifblim airlifting Blue Hood, who was strapped onto a stretcher, away to some other place.

"What's going on?" Ezra asked Xerneas, who was watching the Drifblim rise.

"Hm? Oh, welcome back, Ez and Car. Your Lucario friend's being transported to Firewood City. Sora said he wasn't confident in his surgical skills, so we're getting the professionals to do it instead," he explained. There seemed something off about him, but Ezra couldn't put her finger on what it was.

"Ah, I see. Well, thanks," Ezra nodded as she and Carys entered the Lofts.

Whimsicott was waiting.

"Oh! Hello! Thanks again for rescuing me. I'll try not to drift near any dungeons in the future. Take this 500 Poke as your reward!" the cheery Pokemon beamed handing the money over to Carys.

"No problem!" Carys grinned. Whimsicott smiled back, and left.

"Let's go deposit this right now, so we won't have to do it in the morning," suggested Ezra.

"Sounds good to me," replied Carys. They went back outside, and forgot all about the money.

Victini and Hoopa were walking into town.

"Hey! Hoopa! Victini!" Ezra exclaimed as the duo raced over to them.

"Did you find them? How are they?" demanded Carys, as Xerneas came over as well.

Victini and Hoopa looked slowly up at Ezra and Carys. Their sorrow-filled eyes told them everything.

Ezra felt something within her break.

"No…" Ezra whispered. Hoopa said nothing, only held out Kay's battered Lunar Wing.

"We were too late," he said tonelessly. "When we finally reached them, Kay was long gone. Kyurem…*sigh* he's barely alive. Reshiram and Lugia transported him to the hospital in Firewood City. No one's sure if he'll make it either."

"Kay can't be...she _can't_!" Carys said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"She is. I'm so sorry," Victini sighed, hugging Team Banshee.

Ezra pulled away and stared at Xerneas, tears running down her face.

"Xerneas, you can resurrect the dead, right? Can't you…?" But Xerneas only shook his head sadly.

"She died believing that she had at long last repaid her life debt. Who am I to bring her back, only to tell her that she failed? It would utterly destroy her," he explained.

"But...Kyurem might die, right? So she wouldn't have failed!" persisted Carys.

"_Might_ die. It would be equally cruel to make her go through the angst of waiting to see whether or not she failed. To tell you the truth...if I was a betting man, I'd say Kyurem will live. He's a powerful legendary who's not about to just roll over and die. He wouldn't let a cave-in kill him. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to do that to Kay," he shook his head.

Ezra burst out into sobs. She hadn't known Kay very long, but she held the Minun in great respect. If Kay hadn't been there when Team Banshee had been captured, they would have been dead, with the Dark victorious.

The legendaries let Ezra and Carys cry for a few minutes until they were reduced to sniveling wrecks.

"Someone...should go tell Meloetta," Hoopa said uncomfortably. Ezra sighed, and dully wiped away her tears.

"We'll go do it...Come on, Carys," Ezra mumbled, walking slowly and mechanically to the Lofts.

Meloetta was on the first floor reading the job bulletins when they re-entered. She turned around upon hearing them enter.

"What's wrong?" she asked kindly.

"Meloetta...it's Kay. She's...dead," Ezra's last word was no more than a whisper.

Meloetta's face grew grave, then she sighed.

"I know," she said gently. That was not at all what Ezra was expecting to hear.

"W-what?" Ezra asked, bewildered. Meloetta sighed once more.

"Do you remember when our teams told each other of the visions we saw in Dialga's Roar of Time, and how I refused to speak of my final vision? Well...that vision was of this moment. I saw you two as you are now, walking inside and telling me Kay was dead. It took me a while to come to terms with it, but I did. I even managed to forget about it, until you, Carys, said you wanted to evolve. Then I remembered my vision, and I was afraid that it would come true. I told myself it would be fine. But when we were captured...I realized that Kay's time was nearing. Yesterday, when the dungeon collapsed...I knew that she had died. And now my final vision has come true," Meloetta explained.

Hoopa, Victini, and Xerneas entered the Lofts.

"Shall we...tell the others?" Xerneas inquired half-heartedly.

"Yeah...they deserve to know," Hoopa nodded despondently.

"Where's Cresselia?" Ezra asked, recalling that she hadn't seen the Lunar Pokemon enter town with Hoopa and Victini.

"She departed for the Dark secret base. She said she wanted to look through it, alone, while she dealt with her grief," Victini explained, looking down at the floor.

The six walked upstairs, and gave everyone the sad news. The residents were all horrified, of course, but their grief wasn't as deep as Team Banshee's, Xerneas', Meloetta's, and the HB. None of the others had ever really known Kay. Her loss wasn't as heavy to them.

The tears came again, and Ezra cried and cried alongside Carys. Xerneas only sat down next to them and stared dully through the window. Meloetta sat down with them as a silent presence. Sips, Cave, and Sky mourned as well, and the other residents comforted the group as best they could.

Hoopa quietly gave Franziska her scalchops, and put Team Banshee's favored held items in their room.

Ezra didn't eat dinner that night. She was too numb with grief to think about eating. Xerneas managed to coax her into eating an apple, but it tasted like cardboard to her. She refused to eat anything else after that.

When it was time for bed, Ezra couldn't fall asleep. She only stared at her ceiling without fully seeing it, lost in her thoughts.

Where was Kay now? Did it hurt when the dungeon fell on her? Did she feel anything, or was it quick and painless? Was she watching over them right now? What was she feeling during her final moments?

After many hours, Ezra turned onto her side, and managed to drift off into sleep.

* * *

The next thing she knew, she was in a dream with Carys and Cresselia, and to her utmost surprise, Arceus.

"Hello Ezra, Carys...I'm sure you heard the news?" Cresselia greeted unhappily. Her eyes were red, undoubtedly from crying.

"Yeah…" Carys nodded dejectedly.

"_I'm glad to see you all made it out of Decrepit Ruins. How are you holding up?_" Arceus inquired. Ezra shrugged numbly.

"_I see...__I did not know Kay, but from what Cresselia tells me, I am very sorry she passed away. She sounded like a bright young woman," _Arceus bowed Its head in respect.

"She was the only spy left. She was excellent at her job. I'm...I'm going to miss her bravery," Cresselia choked out, gritting her teeth as she stifled a sob.

When she had calmed down, she continued, "But...that's not why we're here. Arceus wanted to make sure you both were alright, and I wanted to let you both know that...due to Kay's...death...the Nether Veil was released. Arceus currently has possession over it, but that's only a temporary solution. We're...we're not sure where we're going to put it. I don't want another Decrepit Ruins in the world. If it were up to me, it would be hidden away in a location known to only a couple. I don't want another map, but I'd like a guardian, in case the Veil happens to be found again. But...that would mean someone would have to seal themselves away forever with the Veil. And who would give up their entire life to spend the rest of it utterly alone with a giant cloth?" Cresselia wondered bitterly.

"_Mmm….I may have an idea," _Arceus mused. Cresselia glared intensely at It.

"I'm pretty sure I know what You're thinking. And let me tell You, _I don't think that's a good idea_," she criticized.

"_Maybe, but it's my decision to make. Let me think on it more. In the meantime, I will let you all mourn your friend in peace. Cresselia, if you would be so kind as to dismiss me?" _Arceus responded.

"Sure...Team Banshee, I'll arrive in Lily Town tomorrow. I'd...like to hold Kay's funeral there, if you don't mind," Cresselia requested quietly, fiddling with her hands.

Ezra didn't even want to think about a funeral. It would only confirm that Kay was gone forever. So she only nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Thanks…"

"_Farewell,_" Arceus nodded as Cresselia ended the dream.

* * *

**Sky Tower is one of my favorite PMD tracks~**

**At long last, the Dark rebel sect has been taken down, but at the expense of Kay's life. She put her life on the line for months, only for her one desire to be ripped away from her. Sometimes, friends, our dreams never come true…**

**I know this is a sad late-Christmas gift from me to you, but alas, that's the way life happens sometimes. **

**There are only three more posts left in the story, by the way. The next one will contain: a half-hearted mission, Kay's funeral, and a song.**

**PS: On a brighter note, I thought of a story idea, and I hope to get started on it soon. I'm excited, for what I'm planning has never been done before on this site (I checked).**


	92. Chapter 92

Ezra woke feeling somewhat better. Her heart still ached with grief, but it wasn't as bad as it was yesterday. Carys was already awake, and from the look on her face, she was feeling the same way.

They managed to find an appetite for breakfast, although the fluffy pancakes Franziska cooked didn't taste nearly as delicious as they normally did. Sips, Cave, and Sky ate little, but Meloetta and Xerneas had no problem with eating their food.

"Cresselia's coming later today. She wants to hold a funeral here for Kay," Ezra said, staring at her plate.

"Oh, is that so?" Rose asked, looking up from the newspaper.

"Yeah," Carys nodded quietly.

"Maybe we should gather things Kay liked to put on her grave, wherever it'll be," Cave suggested, his voice cracking at the end.

"I like that idea. I like it a lot," Xerneas nodded solemnly. He turned to Meloetta.

"'Etta, you knew Kay best. What does—_did_ she like?" he asked softly. Meloetta stared at her plate for a long while.

"The last I knew, she liked maple leaves, summer, and writing haikus. I don't know if any of that changed. Her favorite food...Heh, she liked Black Gummis the best for some reason, even though she was an electric-type," Meloetta said eventually.

"Hm...there aren't many maple leaves around at this time of the year, but I can go see if anyone at Firewood City has any," mused Xerneas.

"I can paint; I can make a picture of summer," offered Chrysi.

"I like poetry; I could write up some haikus," Ivysaur volunteered.

"Let's see...Shady Marsh has a bunch of Black Gummis, if I'm not mistaken. Team Banshee, would you like to get those?" Rose asked, looking over at Ezra and Carys.

Ezra sighed. She didn't really feel like dungeon exploring, but then again she didn't want to sit around doing nothing either.

"Yeah, sure," she agreed sullenly.

"Can you five help me with something?" Meloetta asked Ranna, Dyrim, Cave, Sky, and Sips. All five nodded wordlessly, some unspoken understanding passing between them.

"Alright then. I'll go and let the other townspeople know what's up," Rose said, getting up from the paper and folding the newspaper.

Carys turned to Ezra.

"I guess we should go out to Shady Marsh early, before Cresselia gets here," she said tonelessly.

"Yeah...come on, let's go," Ezra nodded, slowly rising from her chair and walking out of the Lofts.

They didn't bother with the markets, bank, or storage. They didn't feel like putting up with the hassle today. Instead, they set out with what they already had on them.

* * *

**Shady Marsh ( watch?v=Veq7Yl7-2PU)**

**B1F**

The floor below was made of a dusky green moss that squished and squelched wherever they stood. The walls were made of tree bark. A few pools of water lay around the edges, and visibility was quite low. Ezra made her flame expand, shedding more light into the shady marsh.

"...We first came here looking for a Shard, right?" Carys asked quietly, gazing around the landscape.

"Yeah. Chrysi came with us, because Trina was sick and there was medicine at the end of the dungeon. I'd almost forgotten," Ezra murmured.

"...I guess we'd better go and look for Black Gummis," Ezra said after a few moments.

Silently, they shuffled forward, the only sound indicating their presence was the soft _squish squish_ of the moss underneath their feet.

**B2F**

While cautiously picking their way through a dark corridor, Ezra's flame illuminated a Murkrow that was heading towards them.

Begrudgingly, Ezra geared herself up for battle. She _really_ wasn't in the mood to fight, but she had to if she wanted to get through this dungeon.

So, she threw a Flame Burst at it right as the Murkrow started to dive-bomb for her face. With an anguished squawk, the Murkrow fell down to the ground as it flew straight into the volley of fire.

Before it could get back up again, Ezra defeated it with another Flame Burst.

That had been easy. Very easy.

She almost smiled.

**B3F**

A Poochyena and Vullaby had spawned with them. The Poochyena summoned chains that put an Embargo on their bag, preventing them from using items.

Ezra didn't care, and shot the Vullaby, who was chasing after Carys, with Flame Burst. The tiny Diapered Pokemon screeched with rage, and turned its attention onto Ezra. As it ran towards her, the Vullaby's wings glowed purple, and it struck Ezra with its wings, Punishing her.

In response, Ezra KO'd the annoying foe with another Flame Burst. She heard a pained bark nearby, and she turned to see the Poochyena shake off an attack from Carys.

The Poochyena rushed towards Carys, its canines growing larger as it prepared to Crunch down on the Gourgeist. Before it could reach Carys, Ezra struck it with Flame Burst.

"Thanks," Carys murmured.

"Don't mention it," Ezra said hollowly.

**B4F**

They spawned with the Stairs. Carys didn't even bother making a joke.

**B5F**

They found a Black Gummi in a chamber, but there was a Liepard guarding it. With a snarl, it sharpened its Claws, Honing them to be sharper and deadlier.

With a sigh, Ezra summoned up the energy for a Flame Burst and threw the volley at the purple enemy. It jumped out of the way, and brutally Slashed Ezra's torso with its sharpened claws.

As Ezra wailed, so did the Liepard. Its paw had been singed by her flame. Ezra put a hand to her stinging torso as the Liepard tried to lick its burn. But touching it only made it worse, it seemed.

The Liepard howled, and Carys stepped forward to punish it with Razor Leaf. Growling, the Liepard leaped for Carys, slapping a heavy paw down upon the Gourgeist's head in a painful Assurance. Carys fell face-first into the moist moss.

Ezra attempted to avenge her friend with another Flame Burst, but the sneaky foe Faked her Out by jumping to the left, then turning on its feet to attack her from the right. Ezra flinched.

Carys got up and shook her head, spitting out a large clump of moss. She spat Seed Bombs at the Liepard, who vaulted out of the way. Unfortunately for it, it landed on its injured paw. The enemy let out a roar as it quickly raised the injured paw off the ground.

Carys finished it off with Razor Leaf.

"You alright?" Carys asked, coming over to Ezra.

"I'm fine. Let's just get that Gummi," Ezra sighed, rubbing her still-stinging torso as she headed for the Gummi.

**B6F**

Ezra noticed a Plain Ribbon lying half-submerged in the water in the next chamber they came to. As she stared at it, a brief memory came to her mind.

"Didn't we find a Plain Ribbon the first time we came here?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think you're right. Huh," Carys nodded solemnly.

"Hm. Neat," said Ezra before she moved on, forgetting the dingy white ribbon.

**B7F**

In the second chamber they came to, they found a sleeping Mightyena right in front of the entrance. Ezra tried to sneak past it, but her arm accidentally brushed against its muzzle. The Mightyena began stirring, and Ezra froze, hoping it would go back to sleep.

No such luck. The foe blinked open its eyes, then stared at the Shiny Litwick. It bared its teeth in a snarl as it stood up and stretched.

Carys quickly pummeled it with Seed Bomb and the Mightyena slapped the Gourgeist silly with Assurance in response. Carys was sent careening into the wall beside them.

The Mightyena turned to Ezra and barked loudly. Purple chains formed in mid-air, and they surged to their bag, where they wrapped themselves tightly all over the satchel until it was impossible for any items to be used.

Ezra groaned at having to deal with this enemy, and threw a Flame Burst at it, completely ignoring the Embargo.

The dark-type bounded out of the way, and stuck its tongue out at Ezra, Taunting her.

Anger coursed through her, and with a yell she threw another Flame Burst at the cocky foe. Once again, it leaped out of the way, but failed to notice that Carys had recovered. It jumped straight into her oncoming Razor Leaf, and with a howl it flopped to the ground, unconscious.

The anger left Ezra, and with a weary shake of her head, she walked out of the room.

**B8F**

**Weather Condition: Cloudy**

They came across an Umbreon while walking down a hall. Ezra decided to take to the walls in order to assist Carys from there.

Carys launched multiple Seed Bombs at the dark-type, and it responded by leaping high into the air, effectively evading the attack. But as it fell back to the ground, Ezra hit it with her Flame Burst.

The Umbreon cried out and whirled all around, searching for the mystery attacker. It finally settled its gaze on Ezra, and it scowled, knowing that it couldn't attack her while she was in the wall.

Carys threw another Seed Bomb at the Umbreon, but it ducked, apparently having been paying attention to Carys while it was staring at Ezra.

It paralyzed Carys with a Mean Look, and set about dodging Ezra's Flame Bursts.

After a few turns of this charade, Ezra was beginning to grow annoyed. So, first she shot a Flame Burst at the Umbreon's feet, hoping it would dodge by jumping into the air.

To her satisfaction, it did, and she quickly sniped it down with Flame Burst. It fell to the ground, and remained unmoving.

Carys regained mobility a moment later, and they resumed their trek. Soon, though, they ran into a Purrloin. This time, Carys entered the wall.

The Purrloin began releasing pink hearts that shattered upon contact with Ezra. The attack Captivated Ezra and made her become more sympathetic to the Devious Pokemon.

She and Carys were intruders. All the Purrloin was doing was defending its home. Was that really so bad? Did the Purrloin _really_ need to be defeated?

Ezra hesitated, and the Purrloin swiftly raked her with long, shadowy claws.

The Night Slash hurt quite a bit, and for a moment Ezra wondered why the Purrloin was attacking her. Then she remembered that the Purrloin was only defending its home, and she became complacent again.

"Oh for the love…" Carys huffed before brutally destroying the foe with a critical Seed Bomb.

As if a switch had been flipped, Ezra reverted back to normal.

"Oh my...thank you," she told Carys once her head had cleared of the Captivate's spell.

**B9F**

"After this is all over...what do we do next? I mean, the Dark is gone, and the world's slowly healing. What do we do now?" Carys piped up softly as Ezra was leading her down a hall.

Ezra wasn't sure at all. She couldn't think about the future right now. But Carys did have a good point. Since the enemy had been completely vanquished, what was next for Team Banshee?

"I guess...we just keep doing what we're doing. You know, do exploration team stuff. Help Pokemon in need. I dunno. I can't really think of it right now," Ezra shrugged.

"...That sounds nice," Carys said faintly after a few moments.

They were silent for the rest of the floor.

**B10F**

Carys only sighed when she saw that they had spawned with the Stairs.

**B11F**

**Weather Condition: Fog**

They found a Vullaby and Poochyena in the next chamber they came to, along with a Black Gummi.

The Vullaby whipped up a Tailwind that raised it and the Poochyena's speed. The Poochyena rammed itself into Ezra's gut, knocking the breath out of her as it attempted to Take her Down.

As Ezra wheezed for breath, Carys avenged her with a Seed Bomb to the Poochyena's flank. It growled at the Gourgeist, and rebelliously Crunched down on Ezra's arm, making her half-cry out half-wheeze. The sound she made certainly was an indescribable one.

Ezra shook her arm, but the stubborn Poochyena just wouldn't let go. So, she knocked it unconscious with Flame Burst, wincing as its teeth left her arm.

Rubbing her sore arm, she watched Carys dodge the Vullaby's Punishment. Carys went to Razor Leaf it as it ran past, but the Diapered Pokemon leaped out of the way. It landed near Carys, and it wasted no time in striking Carys with a Feint Attack, sending the Gourgeist sprawling.

Ezra resolutely slapped the dark/flying-type silly with her Flame Burst. The Vullaby spun around and around, and it teetered unsteadily on its feet once it stopped spinning. Ezra swiftly knocked it out with another Flame Burst.

"You alright?" she asked Carys, who was getting to her feet.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," the Gourgeist nodded, holding a hand to her head.

**B12F**

As Ezra and Carys were making their way through a large and dark chamber, Ezra unwittingly stepped on a Warp Trap.

But, to her surprise and confusion, the Trap didn't activate for some reason, even though she was standing on top of it. It was almost like the universe was being kind to her for once.

"That's...odd," she said, perplexed. "But I'll take it."

**B13F**

They had collected seven Black Gummis so far. They were doing pretty well. Ezra was ready to collect more, but they had unfortunately spawned with a Mandibuzz.

The scowling Pokemon took to the air, whirling up a Tailwind that raised its speed.

Ezra attempted to shoot it down with Flame Burst, but the foe easily dodged. Then candy fell from the sky as Carys used Trick-or-Treat, turning it into a dark/flying/ghost-type. The Mandibuzz screeched, and its wings glowed purple as it dove for Carys. The Gourgeist cried out as it was struck by the Punishment.

Ezra rapidly avenged her friend by nailing the Mandibuzz with Flame Burst as it soared past Carys. It squawked in rage and struck Ezra with a harsh Feint Attack.

Ezra flew through the air until she crashed into the wall. Stunned, she lay there for a few moments. Distantly, she heard the Mandibuzz wail, and a few seconds later Carys' scream made her open her eye. She watched as the Mandibuzz swooped towards Carys for a Punishment, only to collide with her Seed Bomb at the last second.

The foe fell, and Ezra joined up with Carys, taking an Oran Berry from the bag and eating it.

**B14F**

"The Stairs are here with us," Carys nodded towards them.

**B15F**

**Weather Condition: Cloudy**

An Umbreon had spawned with them in this cloudy floor. It kicked off the fight by emitting an extremely loud Screech, which caused the duo to cover their ears in a vain attempt to block out the noise.

Ezra grimaced, feeling like her eardrums were about to explode.

"Stop it!" she screamed, hitting the Umbreon with Flame Burst.

Startled, the Umbreon stopped Screeching as it landed on its side. It bared its teeth at Ezra, and began giving her a Mean Look. Ezra felt her traitor body seize up in fear, and with an annoyed snort she waited impatiently for the paralysis to end.

The Umbreon dove at her, smacking her with Assurance before being sent away by Carys' Razor Leaf. The foe growled and began healing itself with Moonlight.

"No you don't," Carys frowned as she struck it with Seed Bomb.

The Umbreon howled and once again began using Moonlight. But, before it could begin healing, Carys interrupted the move with Razor Leaf. The Umbreon collapsed, and didn't get back up again.

Ezra regained mobility a moment later.

**B16F**

There was a Mightyena and Mandibuzz impeding their progress in a passageway. Carys jumped into the walls, where she immediately assaulted the Mightyena with Seed Bomb. The Bite Pokemon yelped, and turned to see where its attacker was.

"Didn't we fight a Poochyena and Vullaby twice already…?" frowned Ezra as she thoroughly roasted the incompetent enemy with Flame Burst.

"Yeah. Now we're fighting their evolved forms. What kind of repetition is this?" Carys responded, turning her attention to the remaining foe.

"Probably the work of a lazy author," observed Ezra idly as she dodged the Mandibuzz's Punishment and struck it with Flame Burst.

"Mm. Maybe. But it's not like we're in a story or anything," agreed Carys as she failed to hit the flying foe with Seed Bomb.

Ezra fell onto her back as she was hit by a Punishment. Scowling, she shot down the perpetrator with Flame Burst.

She got back up, and brushed off bits of moss on her body.

"Well, on we go," she said.

**B17F**

"Oh, we have Stairs," Carys noticed, seeing the Stairs.

**Shady Swamp**

The end of the dungeon held a large pond that was mostly covered in algae. Cattails surrounded the water's edge, along with a yellow flower called heartsroot, named so because its roots were in the shape of hearts.

A few scraggly trees grew around the pond, allowing natural light to seep into the clearing. Ezra shielded her eye against the sudden change in light, but eventually she adjusted.

"Well, we made it to the end. We found a lot of Black Gummis. We should go back," she observed, staring up at the cloudy sky.

"Yeah," Carys nodded quietly.

Together, silently, they turned around and headed for home.

* * *

**Lily Town**

To their surprise, Cresselia had arrived by the time they got back. Xerneas was there too, talking quietly to Cresselia. There was a makeshift stage set in town square, and the others were milling around. There was a piano, drum set, bass guitar, piano, violin and electric guitar, with a microphone in the front of the stage.

"We got the Gummis," Ezra said as she and Carys approached the group.

"Excellent. Set those in front of the stage," Rose nodded, pointing to a pile underneath the stage.

There was a large, fading photograph of Meloetta and Kay, along with a large collection of poems, a bag of red maple leaves, a magnifying glass, and a beautiful painting of Lily Town in the summer. Ezra and Carys gently set the ten Black Gummis they had found with the other items.

Ezra felt a lump rise in her throat, and she turned away from the small shrine, not wanting to cry in front of the entire town.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Cresselia asked softly, floating close to them. Not trusting herself to speak, Ezra only nodded and bit her lip. Cresselia sighed.

"I'm still having a hard time accepting it myself. Kay was a good Pokemon. She will be missed," Cresselia bowed her head in respect.

"Why did Arceus appear to us last night? What is It planning on doing with the Nether Veil?" Carys asked.

"It wanted to make sure you two were alright. As for Its plans...I think I know what It intends," Cresselia responded, grimacing.

"What?" persisted Carys.

"I'm not allowed to tell you the specifics, but...four months ago, Arceus had Xerneas and I do a task for It. We didn't like it, but nevertheless we carried out Its orders. I fear...I fear that Arceus' plans will stem from the...task...we did," Cresselia answered gravely.

Ezra opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Meloetta on the stage.

"Thank you all for coming here. Yesterday, we received sad news that Cresselia's spy, and my best friend, had died while we escaped the Dark. Her name was Kay. She was a Minun. She risked her life for months, dedicating herself to passing along vital information to Cresselia. Even though she was forced to see hideous acts committed daily, forced to watch as her fellow spies were caught and executed...she never gave up. When Team Banshee was kidnapped a few days ago, she helped them escape. Without her, they'd be dead today. She...She was the bravest Pokemon I know," Meloetta said, choking down sobs.

She left the stage, and Cresselia and Xerneas walked up to the mike.

"When I first met Kay, her mentor had just been captured by the Dark. She had lost all will to live...When I told her if she helped me then she could save him, she immediately said yes. I warned her of the danger, but that didn't faze her in the slightest. She was dedicated to her friend. I'd hardly seen such loyalty before. She played a vital part during the war, and her information was not squandered. Even after we had won, she agreed to continue spying for me, because her mentor had been killed, and she could not rest until he was avenged. I...greatly admire her dedication, her unbreakable will," Cresselia explained, bowing her head.

"Kay was a brave soul. When she was the only spy left, I offered her the chance to quit, to save herself lest she end up like the others. She laughed in my face. 'Me, quit?' she said, 'After all I've done so far? You're crazy'. I was shocked, but over time I became even more shocked as she continued to survive and pass along info. When she died...When she died, I sensed peace in her heart. She was content with death, and was ready to move on," Xerneas narrated, getting a tear in his eye. He left out the part with Kay wanting revenge, but at the moment, Ezra didn't care.

Cresselia took out a few pieces of paper.

"Yesterday, I explored the Dark secret base alone. When I got to her private quarters, I found these stuck underneath her pillow. It's her will. I'll read it aloud," Cresselia said, waving the papers.

"'_Lady Cresselia and Xerneas,_

_If you are reading this, then it means that I did not survive Decrepit Ruins. I'm writing this on December 26th, at approximately eleven o'clock at night. I do not think that Team Banshee will hold out much longer. I know, deep down, that we'll have to go through Decrepit Ruins. I've accepted that, and I'm determined to end this charade with Kyurem soon. I can't keep my secret bottled up any longer. I _have _to kill him soon, probably when we reach the altar. I know that there's the possibility of my death, and I'm fine with that. I'm okay with dying. I've lived a life that I am proud of, and I will not regret a thing if I do not survive. _

_But, since I _am _possibly dead by the time you read this...let me just say that I've thoroughly enjoyed working for you both this past year. There were times when I thought about giving up, but remembering all the lives I've watched die before my eyes, all of the suffering innocent Pokemon have gone through, Mawile's face as he died at Kyurem's hands...they've helped me keep going, to put an end to these monsters' plans. I hope that by now, the Dark has been completely eradicated. I smile when I think about all the lives that I've helped save with my work. It makes me happy. I didn't think I could be happy again, but I am. Do you think you could bury me next to Mawile? I'd like that. I'd like to finally be reunited with him again. _

_Could you tell Meloetta that I'll miss her, and that I'm glad I knew her? And tell Team Banshee that it was an honor to meet them, and I hope to see all three of them again one day. _

_Until then, _

_Kay~"_

Everyone was crying. Ezra wiped furiously at her eye, but still the tears flowed. She was like a faucet.

More Pokemon got up on the stage to pay their respects to Kay. Sips, Cave, and Sky explained their first meeting with Kay, how she was so happy to be working under Mawile. Ezra and Carys told the audience how Kay helped them escape, how they were alive only because of her.

Finally, Team Siren and the HB climbed onto the stage.

"We will now conclude this gathering with a song…" announced Meloetta, standing in front of the microphone.

Ranna took the violin, while Dyrim sat down at the piano. Sips stood behind the bass guitar, Cave sat down at the drums, and Sky stood near the electric guitar.

At Meloetta's nod, Dyrim began a slow melody, using his Psychic whenever his short and stubby arms couldn't reach the next key in time. The melody was soft and sad, capturing the melancholy mood perfectly.

As Meloetta began singing, Ranna began playing her violin.

"I'm so tired of being here...Suppressed by all my childish fears. And if you have to leave...I wish that you would just leave. Your presence still lingers here, and it won't leave me alone. These wounds won't seem to heal. This pain is just too real. There's just too much that time cannot erase! When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears. When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears. And I held your hand through all of these years. But you still have...all of me," Meloetta sang, her voice cracking here and there. Although it must've been difficult, Meloetta kept on going, not stopping her song for anything.

"I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone…But though you're still with me…" Meloetta tapped her heart as the piano and violin picked up.

"I've been alone all along!" Meloetta began sobbing as she extended the note. At this, the HB began playing their own instruments, turning the song into some sort of rock.

"When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears!" Meloetta sang bitterly, gripping the microphone stand as tears streamed down her cheeks. "When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears! And I held your hand through all of these years! But you still have…"

The HB gradually stopped their rhythm until only Dyrim and Ranna were playing once more.

"All of me…" Meloetta finished, her final words just a whisper..

Meloetta slumped her shoulders as she releasing the mike stand, not even bothering to wipe away her tears. She just stood there.

Up above, snow began to fall lightly, gently kissing the mourning Pokemon below.

* * *

**The song Meloetta sings is My Immortal by Evanescence. All rights go to them.**

**Hm, seems Arceus is up to something. But what could it be…?**

**The penultimate post (oh my... o.o) will include: moving on, yet another job, and a New Years invitation.**


	93. Chapter 93

Ezra was startled from her sleep by angry shouting coming from the hall.

"SON OF A—ARGH! DOES IT _REALLY_ THINK THAT'S GOING TO WORK?! SHE'D _NEVER_ AGREE!"

The voice sounded like Cresselia's. Baffled, Ezra and Carys tiptoed out of their room and peeked in Cresselia's. The other residents, from their half-awake confused faces, were wondering what was going on as well.

Cresselia was banging her head against the wall, shouting, "Why? Why? Why?" with each thump. Xerneas was with her, looking helpless and resigned.

"I don't like it either, Cressie, but I don't think we can change Its mind," he sighed unhappily.

"You know it's not going to work! She's going to say no, and then we're back to square one! I still don't know why It had us—"

"Uh...Cressie?"

"_What?!_" snapped Cresselia.

Xerneas nodded to the eavesdropping residents. Cresselia turned and saw them. The fury drained from her face, and she sighed heavily.

"Oh...I apologize for my outburst," she apologized, quickly composing herself

"What's wrong?" Rose half-asked, half-yawned.

"Let's just say Arceus is planning something that I don't think will work. I'm...upset, to say the least," Cresselia explained vaguely.

The crowd around her room parted to let her and Xerneas walk out into the commons room.

"I hate to just up and run like this, but I'm needed back at my home. Thank you for dinner, and letting me spend the night here. You run an excellent business, Rose. And thanks for yesterday. It...Well, I think Kay would've liked it," Cresselia bowed.

"Would you like a quick breakfast first before you go?" Rose offered as Franziska headed into the kitchen.

"No, thank you. It's best if I leave immediately. I hope to visit this fine town again soon. Fare thee all well," Cresselia declined as she floated downstairs.

"I should leave as well," sighed Xerneas, starting to follow after her. "The room and board was amazing! Ten out of ten, would do again! Adios!" he shouted over his shoulder as he walked to the first floor.

And just like that, they were gone.

The residents all shrugged and headed into the cafeteria, where Franziska was busy cooking waffles.

"You up for a job today?" Carys asked Ezra through a mouthful of waffles thirty minutes later.

Team Banshee had their appetite back, and everyone else was gleefully stuffing themselves with the golden circles. Ezra thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"I guess. I got nothing better to do. And it'd beat lying around thinking of...of Kay," she said uncomfortably.

After breakfast, they donned their Fickle Ribbon and Trap Scarf, and set about picking a job. Eventually, they settled on a request for help from a Wartortle who was stuck on 10F of Alluring Rift.

After sorting out their unwanted items, they set off.

* * *

**Alluring Rift ( watch?v=Ll7uzpg4KP0)**

**1F**

There was pink everywhere. The floor was made of a smooth, pinkish-gray stone. The walls were a deep azure color, with little green and red stones embedded here and there. There were pink crystals growing all over the floor, and there was one giant spike of a crystal growing near the center of the room. There were also tiny will-o-the-wisps floating lazily around the area. It was a pretty enchanting place.

"I'd forgotten how pretty Hoopa's old home was," commented Ezra as a will-o-the-wisp slowly flew past her.

They'd originally first came here to fight Hoopa, who at the time they believed to be a criminally insane kidnapper. Later, they found out he was only taking the Lake Trio to his home for their safety, as they were being hunted by the Dark.

"Yeah. I could stare at this scenery forever," agreed Carys.

They admired the scene for a few minutes, then they quickly remembered why they were here, and got moving.

**2F**

"So remember how yesterday we weren't sure what to do next? Well, I was thinking...what if our next goal should be to become a Perfect Rank like Team Siren?" Carys was saying as they walked through an oval chamber.

"Hm...that's a worthy goal. We're pretty famous already, since we saved the world and everything. What if we one-up them and find the lost tomb of Team Quintessence?" Ezra mused.

1,000 years ago, the lovers Quinn the Frillish and Tess the Roserade formed Team Quintessence. They had amassed a supposedly unthinkable amount of wealth during their thousands of explorations. Legend said that the two had died together, and their tomb housed all of their treasures. It was every explorer's dream to find it, and so far no one had done so. If Team Banshee managed to find the tomb, they'd be spoken about for generations. Words could not describe how rich they'd be as well. They could end world poverty and still have gazillions of Poke to spare.

But…

"Hm, if we did find their tomb, then a lot of Pokemon might try and steal the treasure from us. That kind of money...Pokemon have been killed for _**way**_ less," frowned Carys.

"True, true...no one said we couldn't donate most of it to museums, though. They'd all go crazy to have 1,000-year-old artifacts," Ezra countered.

"Mm, that's a thought. We have our whole lives to do other meaningful things," agreed Carys.

**3F**

They encountered a Mawile while wandering through a passageway. Upon seeing it, their grief returned, for the foe reminded them of Detective Mawile, Kay's late mentor.

Ezra almost didn't want to attack it, so she squeezed her eye shut andstruck it with Flame Burst. Next to her, from the wall, she heard Carys launch an attack (Seed Bomb, from the sound of it). She heard the Mawile cry out, and suddenly all was silent.

Cautiously, she opened her eye, and breathed a sigh of relief. The Mawile was gone.

_Well, now _that's _some dark symbolism,_ her conscious said.

She quickly banished that train of thought from her mind. Instead, she focused firmly on cute things, like flowers and toy sailboats.

**4F**

"There be Stairs," Carys announced.

**5F**

They spawned with a Graveler and Klefki. The Graveler jumped high into the air, then landed hard on the ground, causing a small Magnitude that shook Ezra this way and that. She fell backwards, but managed to catch herself with her hands. The Klefki, for its part, threw Spikes around Team Banshee's feet.

Scowling, Ezra swiftly KO'd the Klefki with Flame Burst, taking care not to accidentally step on the viciously-sharp Spikes.

The Graveler picked up part of the floor, and Threw this Rock at Carys, who flattened herself on the ground to dodge. Still lying on the floor, she spat out Seed Bombs that detonated all around the Graveler's body. With a wail, it collapsed.

Carefully and cautiously, Ezra and Carys tiptoed their way past the sea of Spikes as best they could. There were a few times when they couldn't help but step on a Spike, but for the most part they made it out unscathed.

**6F**

As they entered a chamber, they noticed that a Carbink was heading their way. It dodged Carys' Razor Leaf, and began Sharpening its edges, raising its attack. Ezra merely threw a Hex at it in response, and the Carbink responded by generating a Reflective shield. ...Only, Hex was _not_ a physical move.

The Hex completely shattered the Reflect, and the idiotic Carbink went down.

Ezra shook her head in bemusement, and they moved on.

**7F**

"Stairs!" Ezra shouted upon seeing them.

Carys glared at her.

**8F**

When they walked into a chamber, they found a sleeping Graveler and a Royal Gummi. Miraculously, Carys didn't wake up the slumbering foe as Ezra picked up the Gummi.

She popped it into her mouth, enjoying the rich dragonfruit taste.

"Why dragonfruit, though?" she wondered aloud.

"_Shut. Up. Ezra,_" glowered Carys, who knew _exactly_ where this tangent was heading.

Ezra only laughed and did as she was told.

**9F**

As they were walking down a corridor, a Graveler bumped into them from what must have been a perpendicular hallway. Even worse, a Mawile was walking towards them as well.

Ezra groaned, and jumped into the wall so Carys could one-shot the Graveler. Surprisingly, though, the Graveler evaded her Razor Leaf, and the attack instead flew down the hall until it collided with the incoming Mawile. The steel/fairy-type fell onto its back with a cry.

Ezra hurried over to quickly put it out of its misery with Flame Burst, mentally apologizing to it as she did so. When she turned, the Graveler was just being defeated by Seed Bomb.

Without a word, they kept going.

**10F**

_Ping_! went their badges.

They had spawned with a Carbink as well. Carys quickly put it down with Seed Bomb with a bored expression, and they set out to find their client.

They found him pouting in a corner of a large room. He scowled at them as they approached.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"We're here to rescue you," Ezra explained, not at all deterred by his sullen demeanor. After all she'd been through, a pouty brat like him meant nothing to her.

"I don't need rescuing! What, do you think I'm weak? Are you saying I'm fragile?" he seethed, standing up and cocking a fist threateningly.

"Our most sincere apologies," Carys cut in smoothly, her voice as smooth as butter. "We'll leave you alone now."

They turned as if to leave, and Ezra smiled faintly to herself when the Wartortle quickly piped up, "W-wait! I _don't_ need rescuing, but this place is boring. Get me out of here."

"As you wish," Ezra chuckled as she used her badge to beam him out. The duo then warped themselves out as well.

* * *

**Lily Town**

"I didn't actually _need_ your help, but I guess it's cool that you got me out," Wartortle was saying back at the Lofts. He had his arms crossed, and was scowling. he didn't meet their eyes.

"S'all right. It's what we do," Ezra nodded. She knew their client was grateful, but she wouldn't force him to admit it.

"Whatever. Just take this. I'm leaving," the Wartortle thrust a Reviver Seed into Ezra's hands, then stalked out of the door. Ezra and Carys shared an amused smile, and they went upstairs to see what the others were doing.

* * *

Later, after dinner, the residents were all playing poker. Despite being in this world for six months, Ezra still had no idea how this game was played. Carys, on the other hand, had won the past five games, and Marcus and Franziska were eager to take her down.

"All in," Carys said, pushing her giant stack of chips in the center. Everyone groaned.

A movement in Ezra's peripheral vision made her turn, and she watched as the window opened to reveal Ledian carrying a large sack of mail.

"L-L-Ledian's Delivery Service!" he announced as he flew into the room.

"Ledian, what are you doing out there? You'll freeze to death! You should take the night off," Rose chided as she quickly thrust a mug of hot cocoa into his trembling hands.

"Rain, sl-sleet, or snow, R-rose, I have to deliver th-the mail, no matter the w-weather! Thank you, though, f-f-for the cocoa," Ledian explained, quickly downing the drink in one gulp.

"Ahh...that was nice," he sighed contently, acting like he _hadn't_ just drank a piping hot drink in one swallow.

"What brings you here?" inquired Pelipper as he attempted to sneak a peek at Carys' cards. The Gourgeist threw a pillow at him in return.

"I have an invitation for Ez and Carys! Here you go~" Ledian beamed as he handed Ezra an envelope.

"Well, I'm off. Toodles~ Enjoy your holiday tomorrow~" he winked jovially as he flew back into the night.

"I swear I don't get that Pokemon sometimes...what does it say?" Rose said, the latter half to Ezra.

Ezra ripped open the envelope, revealing an elegant white card decorated with gold trimmings.

"'Dear Ezra and Carys,'" she read the strange, flowy script. "We cordially invite you both to Cresselia's home of Full Moon Forest tomorrow at 10 AM for a New Year's Eve event. We'd appreciate it if you would attend. The dungeon is only fifteen floors long, and the foes within are quite weak. We hope to see you then. — Cresselia and Xerneas.'"

"Huh," Ezra frowned, looking up from the letter. "That's certainly strange. This morning, Cresselia was so furious. Why is she inviting us to her home for some party?"

"And at 10 AM, too,' chimed in Carys, reading the letter herself.

"Maybe they celebrate New Year's differently. In any case, are you going to go?" asked Rose.

Ezra and Carys looked at each other.

"It kinda sounds like they really want us to be there…" Ezra said hesitantly.

"But we also want to be here with you guys," frowned Carys.

"Oh, go and make them happy. It's just New Year's. Not like we do this once every fifty years. There's always next year," grumbled Franziska, waving her hand dismissively.

"Yeah, go and celebrate with them. Who knows if you'll have this chance again?" Meloetta encouraged.

Ezra and Carys shrugged.

"I guess it's settled, then," said Ezra, looking at the invitation again.

"Tomorrow, we go to Full Moon Forest."

* * *

**By now, I hope you're starting to have an inkling of what the final post (and Arceus' plan) will entail. If you don't, then I suggest rereading the PS Chapter openings. If **_**that**_ **doesn't work, then there's always Post #76. That should **_**definitely**_ **give you a clue. **

**Ah...I'm not quite sure how I feel about the story ending. I have mixed feelings. It's been fun, and I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your reviews. Y'all are awesome. Keep doing what you're doing. I hope to see you again next year!**

**The final post will be comprised of: Rebirth. **


	94. Chapter 94

Ezra and Carys woke at dawn. They were expected at Full Moon Forest at 10, so they would need to get a move on soon if they wanted to be on time. Last night they looked at their map, and they saw that Cresselia's home was only a twenty minute walk north of Victini's home of Destiny Ridge.

They ate a light breakfast of fruit, then began their trek to whatever awaited them at Full Moon Forest.

* * *

**Full Moon Forest**

They arrived at around 9 o'clock. The entrance to the dungeon was surrounded in lush, verdant trees that didn't seem to realize that winter was here. The trees were only about thirty feet tall, leaving the winter sky above open to their view. The leaves were a blue-green color, and the ground was covered in bright green grass and ferns. There were small flowers littering the ground as well, but they weren't in bloom. Upon closer inspection, Ezra saw that they were moonflowers, which only bloomed at night. That made sense, since this dungeon was home to a Lunar legendary.

"Well, we're here. The invitation said this place was only fifteen floors, right?" asked Ezra, gazing at the path that led inside the dungeon.

"Yep, and the foes in here are weak. Doesn't sound too bad," agreed Carys.

"No, it doesn't. Shall we?" offered Ezra.

"Let's."

Without a word, they entered the dungeon.

**B1F ( watch?v=7oFWr-cy4uU)**

Ezra let out a soft gasp when she saw where they were. The ground was made of short, springy, leaf-green grass, and the walls were just short cliffs that had ferns, bushes, and small trees growing on them. Large brown roots snaked all around the room, and moonflowers dotted the landscape. There was a crisp breeze, and the sky was again completely open. Tiny will-o-the-wisps floated lazily in the corners. The area was just so full of...life. Ezra could see why Cresselia would live here.

"Wow! Cresselia sure knows how to keep a dungeon," whistled Carys.

"Right?I wonder what Xerneas' place looks like," wondered Ezra, imaging the dungeon legendary of life lived in.

"Ooh, yeah. Come on, let's get to the end so we can ask him," Carys agreed, walking towards the only exit. Ezra followed.

**B2F**

There was a Lunatone and Sylveon blocking their way in a hall. Since Ezra had a type disadvantage against the Lunatone, she phased into the wall to let Carys handle it instead.

The Lunatone's eyes glowed blue and it shot a glittery, multicolored Psywave onto Carys. The Gourgeist grunted, but made no other indication that she was hit.

Carys retaliated with a Razor Leaf that one-shotted the Lunatone.

Ezra was surprised. The attack must have been a critical hit, then.

She then struck the waiting Sylveon with her Hex. To her astonishment, the Sylveon fainted!

"Uh…" Ezra faltered. What was going on…?

"I...guess Cresselia wasn't kidding when she said the foes were weak," Carys observed, her mouth open in surprise.

"Apparently so. Um..let's just...keep going," Ezra suggested, not sure how she felt about this.

On one hand, it was nice not having to try, but on the other hand, she felt that the foes should be much more stronger, since this was Cresselia's home and everything.

**B3F**

"What do you think awaits us at the end?" asked Ezra as they wandered through a small chamber.

"Not sure...that's why we're going, after all. To see why we've been invited," responded Carys.

"A New Year's Eve party...hm," mused Ezra.

"Actually, the invitation never mentioned a party. It just said 'a New Year's Eve e_vent_," Carys corrected.

"An event? ...Just _what exactly_ are they planning?" demanded a thoroughly confused Ezra.

If there wasn't a celebration, then what was going on?

**B4F**

"We have Stairs!" exclaimed Carys.

**B5F**

A Munna had spawned with them. It managed to evade Ezra's Night Shade, and shot a rainbow Psybeam at Carys. The Gourgeist didn't even blink as she was hit by the attack.

Carys vaporized the Dream Eater Pokemon with Shadow Ball.

**B6F**

When they walked into a large chamber, they found a Clefairy and Illumise inside. The Clefairy Curled itself up into a Defensive ball in a vain attempt to protect itself.

Ezra vanquished it with a Night Shade. She yawned. She missed having a challenge.

The Illumise, who was down at the other end, heard the scuffle and turned around only to be smacked in the face with Carys' Razor Leaf.

It went down instantly.

**B7F**

"Stairs are the best thing since sliced bread," Carys laughed upon seeing they had spawned with the Stairs.

**B8F**

They saw an Umbreon enter the hall they were in. It spotted them, and began walking in their direction. It evaded Ezra's Flame Burst, and flung sand in her face.

"Argh!" Ezra grimaced as sand got in her eye. She scrabbled at her eye, furious at the Umbreon's Sand Attack.

"I got it," she heard Carys say behind her.

As Ezra struggled to get the sand out of her eye, she heard Carys launch an attack from the wall (Razor Leaf, from the sound of it). She then heard the Umbreon cry out, and suddenly all was quiet.

Ezra managed to get most of the sand out, but her eye was still swimming with tears. She spent the rest of the floor blinking furiously.

**B9F**

As they entered a small chamber that was hardly big enough for an Onix to stand in, they saw a Clefairy and Lunatone.

The Lunatone was quickly one-shotted with Razor Leaf, but the Clefairy evaded Ezra's Hex. The fairy-type began Singing a sweet lullaby that made Ezra drowsy.

She yawned, laying down in the soft grass. Just one quick nap, then she'd defeat it…

She woke up a few minutes later with no Clefairy to be seen.

"Hate it when that happens," she muttered before moving on.

**B10F**

"Staaaaaairssss," breathed Carys.

**B11F**

They spawned with a Munna and Volbeat. Neither foe had time to take a step forward before they were brutally defeated with Razor Leaf and Night Shade.

**B12F**

"Why are the foes so weak? Wouldn't it make more sense for Cresselia to be better defended?" frowned Ezra as they walked through a particularly long hallway.

"Maybe she can't help it. Or maybe there's some other reason why the foes are laughably weak," responded Carys.

"Hmm...Oh! What if the reason is to lull intruders into a false sense of security? They see how easy it is to navigate this place, and they relax, thinking Cresselia will be just as easy. But when they reach her, bam! They're out cold," Ezra exclaimed, slapping her fist into her hand.

"Ooh, I can see her doing that. Okay, that makes more sense," mulled Carys.

**B13F**

A Sylveon was blocking their way in a corridor. It Quickly dashed forward, Attacking Ezra. The Litwick hardly even felt it.

"I think not," she told it before she KO'd it with Flame Burst.

**B14F**

"Ooh, penultimate floor! And we have Stairs too!" giggled Carys.

**B15F**

A Volbeat spawned with them. It evaded Ezra's Flame Burst and sent out two twirling lights that fluttered around Carys' face. The Gourgeist's eyes went glassy, and she began swaying on her feet, having been confused by the Confuse Ray.

Ezra quickly punished the foe with Hex, then waited patiently until Carys snapped out of her confusion.

When they finally, came to the Stairs, they took a deep, apprehensive breath. They weren't sure what was waiting for them, but they weren't going to turn back down.

Not sure what to expect, they descended.

* * *

**Full Moon Clearing**

Team Banshee arrived in a spacious clearing. Trees with large roots made formed a protective ring around the clearing, and all of the sky was visible. Ezra had the distinct impression that this place was fantastic for stargazing.

There wasn't much to the clearing, only some ferns and moonflowers here and there.

They weren't alone, however.

Up ahead was a Vibrava, Fraxure, and female Meowstic. The Meowstic was holding one of the Vibrava's hands. They were talking to…

"Mesprit? What's she doing here?" frowned Ezra.

The four heard her, and turned.

"Oh my Arceus!" the Vibrava exclaimed in fright while the Meowstic hid behind him.

"What are you two doing here?!" the Fraxure demanded.

Ezra's eye widened in realization. She knew the Vibrava and Fraxure. They were Kialandi and Firnen!

"This was a set-up!" the Meowstic wailed, holding tightly onto Kialandi.

"Why are you guys in Cresselia's home?" demanded Ezra, charging power to her flame. A blue ball appeared in front of her.

"We all received invitations asking us to be here for New Year's Eve. I convinced Kialandi and Firnen to attend, although _someone_ wasn't supposed to tag along," Mesprit explained, with a pointed look at the Meowstic, who blushed.

Ezra paused, letting the ball dissipate.

"Why did you get invitations as well? And who are you?" Ezra asked, the latter part to the Meowstic.

"This is Cate, my, ah, girlfriend," Kialandi introduced shyly. Cate nodded in greeting, still holding onto Kialandi.

"Oh...well, the question still remains: why are you here?" insisted Ezra.

"Arceus wanted them all to be here. Well, everyone but the Meowstic, but that can't be helped," Cresselia answered as she emerged from deeper within the forest. The Renegades and Cate tensed, from fear or anger Ezra did not know.

"Arceus...wanted us to be here…? Why? To punish us?" trembled Kialandi, beginning to back away.

"Unfortunately, no. Team Banshee, remember how I was saying Arceus was planning on doing a thing? Well, that thing is happening. Today," Cresselia said grimly, scowling for a brief second.

She turned around.

"If you all will follow me," she beckoned.

Everyone but Mesprit looked at each other, then hesitantly followed Cresselia as she led them through the woods and into another, larger clearing.

At the far end of this clearing, however, was Xerneas, who was standing over a large log. He turned when he heard the others approaching.

"Good morning, Ez and Car. Morning, Mes. ...Morning, Renegades and unknown Meowstic," he said the last sentence in a low tone, with an unkind glare at the three Dark Pokemon.

"Hello, Xerneas. I...apologize for...well, you know," Kialandi said, staring at the ground in shame. Firnen did the same while Cate just stared at Xerneas in awe.

"Mmph. Our fights were enjoyable. Not so much our last encounter, but then again you two didn't hold me down while a sadist dislocated my leg. I'm willing to forgive and forget," Xerneas grumbled.

Cresselia turned to the visitors.

"We've invited you all here to witness Arceus'...convoluted...plan for the Nether Veil. If you all would look into the hollow log Xerneas is standing over," she invited.

Cautiously and curiously, the Renegades, Cate, and Team Banshee peered into the log while Mesprit stayed near Cresselia.

Inside the log was a Froslass. She lay on a bed of leaves, and appeared either asleep or dead. No, just asleep. Ezra saw her chest rise and fall. She didn't get it. Why was there a sleeping Froslass here, and what did she have to do with Arceus?

Kialandi, Cate, and Firnen gasped.

"Why is Formora here?! And how is she alive? She's dead! Xerneas confirmed it himself! She's been dead for four months!" protested Kialandi, shaking his head slowly and backing up.

Wait, _what_?

Ezra looked back at the sleeping figure. She looked so peaceful, so content. This couldn't be Formora. Right?

"I visited Arceus in November. It said that it was too late for her to be resurrected," Ezra agreed with Kialandi. She refused to believe it.

"If I had resurrected her recently, then yes, Arceus would be correct. But the truth is...she's been reborn for four months now. Arceus made me revive her a couple days after her death. Cresselia's been keeping her asleep ever since," Xerneas explained gravely.

"Why, though? Formora was trying to _kill_ Arceus! Why would It be merciful?" hissed Firnen, turning to face the legendaries.

The answer came to Ezra.

"Pity," she said. "It felt bad for her. It told me Itself that It sympathized with...with her memories. It said It wanted to give her a second chance."

Full realization came to her.

"That's what Arceus is planning! Cresselia wanted the Nether Veil to be kept in an isolated place where no one would intrude. She wanted a guardian as well, in case someone _did_ find the Veil. But doing that would mean someone would have to give up their life to live in complete isolation. No one would do that! They'd go insane! But Formora might be perfect for the job. She told me during our battle that all she wanted was to be alone. But...she's also a psychopath. Eventually, her bloodlust would get the better of her," Ezra deduced.

"Oh...that...wow," Carys said in a far-away voice.

"Where did you find the Nether Veil? ...You know what, never mind. I'm still trying to get over the fact that My—Formora is alive," Firnen shook his head.

"That's why Cresselia and I are here," Mesprit said, floating closer. "We'd offer to rid her of her insanity and anger in exchange for her service,"

"No, that wouldn't work. She's not capable of making a rational decision," Kialandi disagreed. Mesprit looked at him.

"You might be surprised. I think...I really do think she might consider it. She's in that much pain…" she said thoughtfully.

"Formora always was running off alone to unknown places. Now that I think about, she did seem happier whenever she returned. But I still don't think she'll agree. What happens if she refuses?" asked Kialandi.

"Then she dies. Permanently, this time. Then we're back to square one with the Nether Veil situation. Xerneas and I both agree with you, Kialandi, but Arceus, for whatever reason, is optimistic," Cresselia answered. Then she sighed.

"I've stalled long enough...let's just get this over with," she said begrudgingly as she floated over to the log. She tapped Formora's forehead, and stood back.

Formora's eyelids fluttered, then she slowly opened them. She blinked a few times, then held a hand to her face, shielding her eyes from the sun above. Her eyes went wide, and she bolted upright, looking wildly around.

She swept her gaze all around the clearing.

"W...what?" she asked faintly. A look of surprise came to her face, as if not expecting to hear her voice again.

"Hello, Formora," Cresselia greeted, her face screaming her utmost displeasure at this situation. Formora stared at Cresselia, then at Xerneas.

"I'm...alive? But how? Why? What's going on?" she demanded, getting up from the log.

"I resurrected you," Xerneas answered, sitting down. Formora's brow furrowed in confusion, and she gazed around the clearing once more. Her brow furrowed even more once she took in the other Pokemon.

"Mesprit...and Kialandi and Firnen. And...Cate? You...evolved. And so did the Pumpkaboo. Why is Ezra here?" Formora hesitated. She then closed her eyes and put a hand to her head. She sighed in what sounded like disappointment.

"Arceus wanted them all to be here. It was the one who ordered your rebirth," Cresselia informed. Formora turned to her.

"Arceus did? But why?" she asked.

"Deus ex machina," Xerneas supplied helpfully.

"Ignore him. Personally, I don't know. According to Ezra, it's because It felt bad for you," Cresselia answered.

Formora blinked, then her face grew angry, looking more like her old self.

"That makes sense. Bringing me back, only to mock me for my failure. _I don't need Its pity! _I'd rather be dead again," Formora spat, her face burning with shame.

"That's not entirely why It had you brought you back to life. It'd be better if It explained," Cresselia cut in hastily as Formora started to summon a Shadow Ball.

Formora paused, the Shadow Ball in her hand pulsing menacingly.

"What do you mean? Explain it to me," she ordered, making as if to throw the Shadow Ball at Cresselia.

Ezra wanted to know too. Was Arceus here with them?

"It's waiting for you in a dream. It wanted a private audience," said Cresselia.

She moved forward quickly, and before Formora could react, Cresselia tapped Formora's forehead. The Froslass gasped, then promptly fell to the ground. Her Shadow Ball dissipated harmlessly.

Cresselia turned to the others.

"Now we wait for her to wake up," she said simply.

* * *

Formora suddenly found herself on top of Celestial Spire once more. Only this time, the place wasn't about to collapse and Arceus wasn't imprisoned at the far end. She frowned. She preferred the crumbling tower than to this pristine, healthy one. This tower mocked her. She scowled. She'd teach it not to mock _her_.

She prepared a Shadow Ball, intending on smashing the floor below her. She held the ball high over her head.

"_You realize this is a dream, right? Your Shadow Ball won't work,"_ a voice said behind her. Her scowl deepened. So now _this _was happening.

"Come to gloat, deity? I seem to recall that you weren't so high and mighty a short time ago. Shall I finish what Giratina started?" she asked without turning.

_You failed to kill Ezra; what makes you think you can kill Arceus? Besides, didn't you hear It? You're in a dream, you stupid girl,_ her father's voice said in her head.

"Shut up," she told him angrily as she turned to face the Pokemon who made her life a complete hell.

"_Your father's voice, I presume? He still haunts you?"_ Arceus asked sympathetically. Her rage intensified. She didn't need this uppity Pokemon's pity.

"Why do you care? You're the one who gave me this life," she seethed, throwing a Blizzard at It.

It didn't move a muscle as all her icy rage enveloped It. To her shock, though, Arceus didn't seem fazed in the slightest. ...Now that she looked closer, Arceus looked...healthy. This was odd; last time she'd seen It, It was more dead than alive. Now It looked as if It was perfectly healthy.

She then realized how this was possible. They were in a dream, right? So Arceus was making Itself _look_ healthy. She smiled in amusement. Its tricks wouldn't work on her. Ah, if only she had her switchblade…

"_Actually, I'm not responsible for creating souls. In fact, neither I nor your original world's Arceus was responsible for your childhood. You just happened to be unlucky," _Arceus shook Its head.

That wasn't what shocked Formora. What shocked her was that she actually _believed_ It. What was _wrong_ with her?!

_Everything_, her father snapped.

"Shut _up_," she growled at him, clutching her head. Now she _really_ wanted her knife, if only to cut him out of her head forever.

"_Do y__ou remember when I briefly_ _touched minds with you?_" asked Arceus, tilting Its head.

She scowled. Like she could ever forget. She'd been in her room in the Dark base, stabbing her father over and over again. Then she'd blacked out, and when she woke up, her father had disappeared, and there were hundreds of stab marks in the wall for some reason. Then a foreign presence had entered her mind. She had quickly identified its powerful aura as Arceus, and It had recognized her. Then It left her, alone and wondering why the wall had been attacked.

"_In that brief moment, I saw your entire life. It...touched me. I learned why you fought for Giratina_," Arceus continued.

"Then you know that _I don't need or want your pity_," Formora growled, preparing another Shadow Ball.

"_I don't pity you, Formora. I respect you._"

"...Excuse me?"

"_I do sympathize with you, though. It'd be a lie for me to say otherwise. Certainly, you were dealt a tough hand back in the human world. Born to parents who weren't ready for a child…"_

At this, the scenery began to shift. Suddenly, she was reliving her earliest memory.

* * *

"_You see this?!" her mother hissed, thrusting a piece of paper into her three-year-old face. "This is how much it cost us to keep you alive when you were born! If I'd have known beforehand that you weren't worth all this debt, then I would have just let you die!"_

_Her mother began crying, and she ran into her room, slamming the door behind her. Her father started to follow her, but he turned back to look at Formora._

"_You will never deserve the right to live," he said coldly._

* * *

The memory faded, and they were back in Celestial Spire.

_And you still don't deserve to live,_ her father snorted.

"_Quiet,_" Formora growled.

"_Then your mother left, and your father continued to abuse and neglect you. One day, you had enough, and decided it would be better to live on the street instead of with him any longer,_" Arceus continued as the scene shifted again.

* * *

_She was flipping over the remains of her worn-out mattress. She took out her lockpicking set, and swiftly unlocked her bedroom door. She ate the little food there was in her house, then she exited the house. She jogged to the plaza, and was briefly taken aback how noisy it was. But she held her head high, and walked into the crowds of people and Pokemon._

* * *

They were back on top of the tower.

"_When you were sixteen, you had the chance to be adopted by a loving family who saved you from death. But you were afraid—_"

"_YOU TAKE THAT BACK!_" Formora screamed, flinging herself at Arceus, who only side-stepped out of the way.

_You were a coward,_ her father agreed as she fell to the ground.

"SHUT UP! THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU!" she roared, punching herself in the head.

She then noticed that the scene had shifted again.

* * *

_She sat there, in her hospital bed, mulling over the couple's offer. Be adopted? She'd finally have the life she always wanted. But it would be at the cost of her freedom and solitude. Comfort versus freedom...To choose the unknown road, or stick with the one she knew?_

_She panicked for a brief moment. She couldn't! She valued her freedom far too much to risk having it taken away. She'd been a prisoner for fourteen years; she was _not _about to become one again. _

_She's leaving before they come back._

* * *

Panting, she stood back up, staring at Arceus. Why was It doing all this? Why was It making her relive her memories?!

She became exhausted out of nowhere, and she felt tears come to her eyes. What was the point of all this? Why couldn't Arceus just let her die in peace? At least she had been alone in that brief moment of death. Alone, and without her father's voice echoing in her head all the time.

"_You were brought to this world, where you were turned into a monster_," Arceus went on.

* * *

_She was in the cafeteria in the compound. Giratina was giving her her very first mission._

"_**Bring me a Shiny Pokemon**_," _Giratina rumbled, looking down upon her. She nodded. She could easily do that._

"_You should break its arm," Cradily suggested as he and his team walked up to them._

"_What?!" she exclaimed in horror. Kidnapping was one thing, but she wasn't sure if she could willingly break someone else's arm just for the pleasure of it._

"_**Hmm, yes. Bring me a Shiny Pokemon. And break its arm. I want to make sure that you're worthy of your title, Miss Champion**_**,**" _Giratina mused._

"_You're the Champion of Darkness, right? So prove that you're one of us. Or are you too scared?" Binacle taunted._

_She glared at him._

"_I _am _one of you. I'll do even better! I'll break _all _of its arms!" she shouted, turning and running out of the cafeteria. _

_Later that day, she brought them an unconscious Shiny Buneary. Its arms and legs had all been snapped in half. It had taken a lot of willpower to do it, but she had done it. The funny thing was, once the first limb had been broken, it had been easier for her to break the rest._

_She had even enjoyed it._

* * *

She remembered that day. That was when she had first realized that she liked causing pain. Giratina had been most impressed. He taught her where to strike in order to inflict as much agony as possible. She had relished the lessons, had relished the increasingly bloody tests he gave her.

She had grown to love pain.

Even now, her instincts were screaming to rip Arceus limb from limb in revenge.

But she forced herself to remain still. She wanted to know what the point of this dream was first.

"_Later, your father's voice began to speak to you unbidden. It insulted you, told you that you were nothing. It angered you. His voice got increasingly persistent, and he even started to appear to you,"_ Arceus continued.

* * *

_She was in Primordial Ruins, battling Ezra. She threw a Shadow Ball at the pillar the upstart Litwick was hiding behind. It shattered, and Ezra's scream was music to her ears. Ezra was thrown into the wall, and Formora quickly pelted her with another Shadow Ball. Ezra fell to the ground, but sat up when she saw Formora coming towards her. _

_Formora grinned, thoroughly enjoying the terror in Ezra's eye. It made her feel so very, _very _powerful right now. The feeling was almost intoxicating. _

_She stood over Ezra, but a movement in the corner caught her eye. She turned, and snarled when she saw her father leaning against the corner, gazing at her with unloving eyes._

"_You know you're going to lose, right? You're going to be remembered forever as Formora the Failure. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" he mocked._

"_Shut _**UP**_!" she screamed, vaporizing him with her Ice Beam. _

_A few minutes later, Ezra threw a purple Hex her way. Formora evaded using her Snow Cloak, and quickly reappeared behind her mortal enemy, and shoved her down to the ground. _

_The fragile Ezra let out a cry as she fell. That only made Formora angrier. Why was her mortal enemy so _WEAK?!

_Her father's scathing laugh echoed through her head._

"_I can just see it now: this crybaby little Litwick killing you. Oh, how _precious! _The feared Champion of Darkness, murdered by an inexperienced child! That's how it's going to go, Formora the Failure! You know I'm right. Deep down, you know this Litwick will kill you," he taunted. _

_She squeezed her eyes shut and put her hands over her ears._

"_Shut up _shut up **SHUT UP**_!" she screamed, hating herself as tears flowed down her cheeks. Why wouldn't he just leave her_ alone_?!_

* * *

She didn't realize she was sniffling. Her eyes were all watery too. Angrily, she wiped her tears away.

"You've gone through my memories. Now will you tell me why you brought me back?" she demanded, hating how her voice was shaky. Why was she so off-guard? She didn't understand.

"_Very well. You see, a couple days ago, the Nether Veil was unearthed,_" Arceus agreed.

"The Nether Veil? But what does that have to do with me? And why did you have Xerneas bring me back?" asked Formora, trying in vain to keep herself from trembling. She was so _weak_. At least Giratina wasn't here to witness such spineless behavior.

"_The Dark have all been arrested, Formora. Well, besides you and your former teammates, and few members that went into isolation after the Battle for the Dark Compound. But even so, I fear there may be a few Pokemon who feel it is their duty to awaken Giratina before he has been truly reformed. Cresselia suggested I seal it away somewhere and never tell a soul. I agree. But as an extra precaution, she suggested there be a guardian in case the Veil happened to be stumbled upon. I agree with that as well. But here's the thing...the guardian would have to essentially give up their entire life to remain in isolation for the rest of it. No sane Pokemon would ever agree. Pokemon are social creatures; we crave social interaction. We—"_

"Answer the question. Why. Did. You. Bring. Me. Back."

"_I wanted to give you a second chance. I wanted to ask you if you'd like to guard the Nether Veil. That way, you can be alone for the rest of your life, and I can rest easy knowing that a powerful soul like you is guarding it," _Arceus finally got to the point.

Formora felt like she was far away.

"W...What?" she asked faintly. "But...you know I'm Dark...How do you know I won't betray you?"

She certainly would betray Arceus, but on the other hand, eternal isolation away sounded like paradise.

"_Ah, that. You should ask Cresselia and Mesprit. I will wake you up now, if that's okay. I hope you'll choose wisely, Formora. If you decide to agree, then I will see you in a day or so," _ Arceus said as everything went black.

* * *

"Why are the Pokemon in your dungeon so weak?" Ezra asked. It had been two hours, and Formora was still asleep.

"They came that way when I decided to live here," Cresselia answered.

"Have you ever thought about—" Kialandi cut himself off as Formora began to stir.

Everyone held their breath, wanting to see how the Froslass would react.

* * *

Everyone was staring at her like she had two heads. She sat up and looked around. She was back in the real world.

She turned to Cresselia and Mesprit.

"So...how are you going to prevent me from betraying Arceus?" she asked, crossing her arms.

To be honest, it sounded like Arceus would imprison her with the Nether Veil. She liked the idea of eternal isolation, but she liked having a free will equally as much.

"You know that I am the healer of nightmares, and that Mesprit is the Being of Emotion. What we would do is turn you Light, to put it in layman's terms," Cresselia answered.

Turn her Light?

"Meaning what?" Formora demanded. She'd loathe to be like Ezra, or any one of these idiots.

"Well, all I would do is take away your desire to hurt others, and your tendency for violence. Mesprit would only take away your anger towards the world," Cresselia responded.

Formora waited, but Cresselia did not say thing else.

"That's it?" she asked warily. There _had_ to be a catch.

Losing her love of pain she could live with. Being isolated for the rest of her life would mean she'd have no need for it. Same with her love of violence, and her anger. She wouldn't need any of those things if she were going to be alone.

"You're not going to put me in some cage with the Veil for the rest of my life? And are you going to give me empathy or whatever?" she continued.

"I'd like to make you as hard to access as possible, but I certainly wouldn't go _that_ far. I'd also like for you to feel at least _some_ remorse for your actions, but…*sigh* I guess it's not mandatory," Cresselia grumbled.

"Hm. What happens if I say no?" Formora asked.

"Then you will die. Forever, this time," Cresselia responded coldly.

She thought hard. If she said yes, then she'd be alive and alone, but forced to spend her time with her father and pretty much in a cage. If she said no, then she'd be killed, but she'd be free of her father's voice.

"You know, Formora…" Cresselia piped up,a softer look in her eyes. "I can also get rid of _his_ voice."

_That_ got her attention.

"Explain," Formora demanded.

"He is part of your nightmares. Therefore, I can erase him. Forever. Also, I'm willing to let you choose where you want to remain hidden," Cresselia elaborated.

Ezra, Kialandi, Cate, Firnen, and the Gourgeist frowned in confusion. None of them knew of _him_.

Alive, and alone, mentally and physically, in her favorite place in the whole wide world...She felt a smile tugging at her lips.

_You should choose to die. It would certainly do the world a favor,_ her father advised.

She closed her eyes. Yep, that sealed it.

"Fine," she said.

A stunned silence greeted her, and she opened her eyes. Everyone besides Mesprit had their jaws dropped open in shock.

"You're giving me the chance to live out my dream. How could I not?" Formora shrugged in annoyance.

"I...wow. I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting that answer. Uh, here, one moment," Cresselia stuttered as she floated closer.

"I'm going to get rid of him now," she explained.

Formora smiled in cruel pleasure.

_Goodbye forever,_ she laughed at him.

Cresselia and Mesprit touched Formora's forehead, and for a brief second she blacked out.

When she came to, she felt...different.

She felt...free. Her head felt clear, and it was joyfully silent inside her mind. She looked at the Pokemon around her and was amazed to find that her body wasn't itching to murder them all anymore. She looked back on her actions, on all the Pokemon she hurt. She noted how she didn't respond emotionally to any of the memories, and was pleased. So they kept their promise after all.

So this was what trust felt like.

"How...how do you feel?" Ezra piped up hesitatingly.

Formora stared at the Litwick, who was once her former enemy. She felt no more hatred. Instead, only a brief curiosity of what Ezra would do now, now that her task was over.

"Clearer, but otherwise normal. I don't want to murder you anymore, so there's that," Formora answered.

"Where do you think you might want to spend the rest of your life? Preferably somewhere already isolated, and—"

"Snowy Crevice and Frigid Tundra," Formora interrupted Cresselia. The legendary blinked.

"The...far north? I guess that makes sense, since you're a Froslass, but there's practically no food up there," Cresselia frowned.

"There are berry fields a few miles away, and I know what plants can be eaten. I can also fish," Formora said nervously.

The End of the World was her favorite place in the world. Few went there, and it was the perfect place to fight for her survival.

"I love surviving in harsh conditions. I _thrive_ under life-and-death circumstances. I liked having to fend for myself when I was a street kid. Nothing would please me more," she was actually _begging_. Arceus help her, what had she turned into?

"I'm willing to let her try it," Xerneas said as Cresselia hesitated. Cresselia looked at him, and sighed.

"Fine. I'll collapse the entrance to Snowy Crevice, so that no one can access the dungeon. That should deter most Pokemon. Only the most stubborn will find the Nether Veil now. Formora, you also have the right to opt out any time you want, although that would mean your death. I'll give you a Lunar Wing so you can contact me as well. Let me know if you ever need food," she said eventually.

A warm grin spread across Formora's face from ear to ear.

"Oh, _thank you_," she said, feeling tears spring to her eyes.

"I wouldn't use the name Formora anymore. People still think you're dead, and there'd be mutiny if people learned you were alive after all. Hopefully, since four months have passed, you'll be forgotten soon," Cresselia advised.

"Four _months?!_" Formora shrieked. Of course it was _four_ months. That was _much _longer than she'd thought. She thought only a couple days had passed since Celestial Spire.

"Yes. Today is New Year's Eve. Not much has changed, though. Now...are you ready to begin your new life?" Cresselia asked.

Formora paused, momentarily taken aback by the date, then smiled.

"Yes," she said simply.

She turned her back to the others, looking up at the sunny sky above.

She was looking forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow was a new day. And with it, a new adventure.

* * *

**And so, we have finally come to an end... Originally, Formora was only supposed to be a two-dimensional villain, like Team Skull or Team Meanies. Thank Arceus **_**that**_ **never happened, right? As I got to know Formora better, she opened up and told me her story. She told me of the things she endured, and how she came to be who she was. Like Arceus, I sympathized with her. I became averse to giving a tragic character (in this particular story, anyway) a bitter end. I wanted to be merciful. And so, she gets to live out her dream of being alone and free to fight for survival in the far north. Not my particular choice of paradise, but hey, 'Mora's always been different. **

**You might be wondering what I plan on doing next. Well, next year I plan on starting a sequel of sorts to PMD: Light in the Darkness. It's not so much a sequel as it is an alternate retelling. I will retell this story, only from Formora's perspective. After all, we don't really know what Team Renegade was up to while Team Banshee was running around trying to save the world. Don't worry, it'll be 85% original content. Chapter 13 all the way to this point in the timeline was me subtly introducing some of the new characters. As you can expect, it will not be rainbows and sunshine like this story. **

**If you're not interested in seeing things from 'Mora's side, then I am also going to be doing a Pokemon Journey fic, as well as that special project I mentioned before. **

**Thanks again to everyone who submitted OCs. I apologize to those who didn't get to see theirs appear in here. Maybe next time, though!**

**Thanks again to:**

**Ckbrothers-The Hooded Brotherhood**

**Xorobukkit-Evan**

**Luckylugia-Lafea**

**RedArrowCrasher-the Bravo Specials**

**Magnet Man-the Unknown**

**Luck Isn't My Best Subject-Team Crescent**

**Gara316-Ben**

**Nerdicarp-Team Triple S**

**SilverScepter-Team Rogue**

**Tatopatato-Wanda, Diego, and Gaia**

**Vaati Star-Vaati, Kunoichi, Ramaru**

**I don't think I've forgotten anyone, but if I did, I sincerely apologize. **

**But the biggest thank you goes to...all of you! Your support is what kept me going. Your support is what caused this thing to happen! Give yourself a big, super-cheesy round of applause! :D**

**Well, that's it from me. I will see you all in the new year, with new adventures. **

**~Remi**


End file.
